Tottenham Hotspur are not for sale despite approaches from two different parties as owners ENIC look to stamp their mark on the club in the post-Daniel Levy era.
An Asian consortium of investors led by Dr Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited are understood to have indicated an informal intention in their approach on Thursday to make an offer for Spurs, the day Levy left his role as executive chairman after 24 years at the Premier League club.
Amanda Staveley and PCP International Finance Ltd have been linked with the north London club since the 52-year-old's departure from Newcastle United last year and they are believed to have shown enough interest, without making an actual indication of a forthcoming bid, to trigger takeover panel rules on disclosure.
football.london reported on Thursday that ENIC had no current intention of selling the club and sources close to the Lewis family, who run Tottenham owners ENIC, reiterated on Monday that the Premier League club is not for sale. The powerful family had grown disgruntled with the lack of silverware at Spurs in recent decades and are looking to stamp their mark on the club in the wake of Levy's departure, which itself was the final part of plans to modernise its structure to ensure more sporting success.
CEO Vinai Venkatesham is now in charge of Tottenham on a day-to-day basis, aided by new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington, with former owner Joe Lewis' children Vivienne and Charles among the family members looking to back the new-look structure rather than run it
In a statement triggered by the takeover interest, Spurs confirmed that ENIC had "received and unequivocally rejected separate preliminary expressions of interest" to acquire their entire stake in the club.
They stated: "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."
PCP later confirmed it had been interested in a potential move but "does not intend to make an offer for Tottenham". Both interested parties have until 5pm on October 5 to lodge a firm intention to make a bid or, as PCP have done, announce they do not intend to make an offer, although that deadline can be extended.
Takeover rules state that if approaches are not followed up by a bid, that party cannot come back with an offer for six months. It appears that even if they did they would be met with a firm no by Tottenham.