A REPORTED £3.1billion offer to buy Tottenham won’t be enough to purchase the club, it is claimed.
Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi is preparing the blockbuster bid, according to the Financial Times.
Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi is reportedly preparing a bid to buy TottenhamAlamy
Getty – ContributorIt’s claimed Tottenham owner Joe Lewis values the club at closer to £4.5billion[/caption]
Najafi, 60, is forming a consortium to put forward an offer.
But the Daily Mail say Spurs owner Joe Lewis wants “closer to £4.5bn” in order to sell.
Lewis, who owns investment company ENIC Group, is said to value Tottenham at £4bn-£4.5bn.
And therefore The Mail say Spurs consider it “impossible” for Najafi to succeed with a £3.1bn bid.
Lewis, 86, is reported to be open to selling the club, although billionaire Najafi is yet to approach with a formal offer.
Najafi owns Najafi Companies – a Phoenix-based equity firm which is his primary source of income.
He is also the chair of sports investment company MSP Sports Capital.
Najafi was previously linked with a takeover at Everton, and has reportedly been interested in taking over a Premier League side for some time.
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Najafi is a part-owner of NBA side Phoenix Suns and is vice-chairman of McLaren Racing.
The Financial Times say 70 per cent of Najafi’s bid will be put forward by MSP and the partners recruited for the consortium.
The other 30 per cent will come from backers from the Middle East, thought to be mainly based in Abu Dhabi.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is claimed to have been joined at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by potential buyers multiple times in recent months.
Najafi is looking to become the latest US owner of a Premier League club following a recent influx.
Todd Boehly and private equity group Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea last year for around £2.5bn.
Another group led by Bill Foley, and including Hollywood A-lister Michael B Jordan, recently bought Bournemouth for £120m.