Daniel Ek bought £42m villa ‘only to knock it down’ – causing huge local row

Arsenal's potential new owner Daniel Ek caused controversy in Sweden after purchasing a £42m home – only to later knock it down.

Ek has emerged as a candidate to replace Stan Kroenke in recent days, with many hopeful that the club's long-standing American owner will depart.

While the Swedish billionaire did not draw up plans to be part of a European Super League like Kroenke, he caused major disruption in his home country after demolishing a property of great heritage.

The home, was which built in 1893, was regarded for its historical value to the local area of Djursholm and many residents were angered to see this wiped out for no good reason.

Several surrounding houses were protected by cultural environmental regulations and are subject to the demolition ban, but Ek's house was exempt from such rules.

The Spotify CEO purchased the property in 2018 and had originally planned to renovate the house before his family moved in, but a number of hidden faults were discovered with the villa.

Ek quickly abandoned his ideas of improving the property and applied for permission to have it destroyed.

After a heated discussion about the building’s cultural-historical value, Ek got his wish in the spring of 2020 – which left the residents of Djursholm in disbelief.

The property was a three-story villa with 488 square meters and a floor space of 56 square meters. There was also a tower room on top of the house which offered a 360-degree view.

Fast forward one year, and Ek has hit the headlines again following another housing investment.

The 38-year-old became the owner of another impressive home, which is reportedly worth £500m.

Located on a peninsula, the luxurious plot has its own sandy beach and a registered ancient monument from the 15th century. Here, the Spotify founder is now plotting a renovation worth close to £100m, according to Expressen.

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    • Provided that the building permit goes through, Ek is aiming to restore the main building to a detached house, scrap the site’s tennis court to replace with a swimming pool as well as building a garage in the basement.

    Having witnessed Ek's previous actions with his old £42m home, local residents may now be fearing the worst ahead of these proposals.

    READ MORE: Daniel Ek and Invincibles to ignore Kroenkes’ Arsenal statement and lodge £1.8bn bid

    READ MORE: Arsenal were already preparing for takeover interest before European Super League farce

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