Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur have said the football club is “not for sale”, as Amanda Staveley’s firm pulled out of a potential takeover move.
On Monday morning, PCP International Finance, the investment vehicle led by former Newcastle United shareholder Ms Staveley, confirmed it had been interested in a potential move.
But it confirmed that “it does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham”.
Takeover rules mean the company cannot return with an offer for Tottenham in the next six months.
It came amid growing speculation that a takeover of the club could be imminent following the sudden departure of long-standing executive chairman Daniel Levy late last week.
Mr Levy was the Premier League’s longest-standing chairman, having held the role for 24 years.
On Sunday evening, the club confirmed that it had received takeover interest from two parties but that it did not plan to sell.
ENIC Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd, the majority shareholder of the club, said it had interest from PCP and a consortium of investors led by Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited.
In a statement, Tottenham’s board confirmed it had “received, and unequivocally rejected, separate preliminary expressions of interest in relation to proposals to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of ENIC”.
It said: “The board of the club and ENIC confirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC has no intention to accept any such offer to acquire its interest in the club.”
ENIC, which is run by the Lewis family trust, owns almost 87% of Tottenham, but due to the remaining shares being publicly traded, the club is subject to the UK Takeover Code.