Tottenham have issued an official statement after an American consortium launched an informal takeover bid worth a staggering £4.5billion.
As reported by The Sun, tech entrepreneur and former DJ Brooklyn Earick is leading a group that has made an approach to buy the club.
The proposal from the 12-strong group, which is also made up of investors from the NFL and NBA, would see £3.3bn offered to owners ENIC and the Lewis family, with £1.2bn put aside for a transfer war chest.
Earick is said to have first made contact with Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy several months ago, before the businessman stepped down as chairman after a sporting review.
Tottenham respond to takeover interest
However, it has now been confirmed that Tottenham have “unequivocally rejected” the informal expression of interest – and that they have no intention of selling up.
“The Board of the Club and ENIC reconfirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and ENIC is not looking to sell its stake in the Club,” Spurs said.
Earick’s group must, by law, either announce a concrete intention to make an offer or confirm that they do not intend to do so by 5pm on October 24.
ENIC own 87 per cent of the club but the remaining shares are publicly traded, meaning Spurs must abide by the UK takeover code.
This states that any expression of interest or bid must be made public.
Two expressions of interest, including one from former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley, were also rebuffed earlier this month, but speculation around a potential sale continues to build.
Who is Brooklyn Earick
Earick spent around a decade as a DJ, performing across North America and Europe.
He fell in love with football during that time, saying in 2011: “It’s crazy how big electronic music is everywhere. I always relate it to soccer.
“Soccer is massive everywhere else in the world, and it’s just starting to gain a little steam here in the US. It’s kind of the same with electronic music.”
After leaving the music scene, he took a job with NASA as an electrical engineer.
This enabled him to take a step into the tech industry, with Earick founding Redacted RnD, a self-described “thought leader in blockchain innovation and digital assets”.
Earick’s bid to buy the Maserati MSG Formula E team fell through earlier this year.