Najafi's £3bn Spurs offer will FALL SHORT of the club's valuation
Jahm Najafi’s planned £3bn Tottenham offer will FALL SHORT of the club’s valuation and a deal at that price is labelled ‘impossible’ with owner Joe Lewis – who is open to selling – wanting closer to £4.5bn
- Billionaire Jahm Najafi is preparing a £3.1bn takeover bid for Tottenham Hotspur
- Spurs owner Joe Lewis is open to selling the club, but he wants nearer £4.5bn
- Daniel Levy is understood to have entertained potential buyers in recent months
American businessman Jahm Najafi’s anticipated offer of £3.1billion for Tottenham will fall short of the club’s valuation.
Sportsmail understands that Spurs’ billionaire owner Joe Lewis values the Premier League club between £4bn-£4.5bn – with a proposed sale at £3.1bn described as ‘impossible’ by sources.
It is a well-known secret that Tottenham owner Lewis has been open to selling the club.
Chairman Daniel Levy is understood to have welcomed a number of potential buyers to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a number of occasions in recent months.
But news of Iranian-American businessman Najafi’s interest in Tottenham, as revealed by the Financial Times, has thrown the club’s future back into the spotlight.
Spurs owner Joe Lewis (L) is open to selling the club, but he values them at around £4.5bn
Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi is reportedly preparing a group of investors to launch a £3.1bn takeover bid for Tottenham, according to two people with direct knowledge of plans
Spurs have become established at the top of English football under chairman Daniel Levy and owner Lewis but they haven’t won a trophy since their League Cup title back in 2008
Though, at the reported price Najafi will offer, a deal appears unlikely. As it stands there has been no formal approach from Najafi to Tottenham.
It is understood that Najafi has had a long-standing interest in investing into a Premier League side. He was linked with Everton recently.
The Financial Times report states that Najafi – who is chair of MSP Sports Capital – is working with a consortium to prepare the structure of the huge bid and the group is expected to approach Lewis and Levy in the coming weeks.
The bid is set to be factored so that Najafi and MSP would put forward 70 per cent of the capital, while others would contribute the remaining 30 per cent – with these backers likely to come from the Gulf, and particularly Abu Dhabi.
The reported £3.1bn bid for the club from Najafi consists of the club’s equity being valued at approximately £2.5bn, before adding about £610m of the club’s current debts.
ENIC – which is connected to Lewis and Levy – purchased a 26 per cent stake in Tottenham from Lord Alan Sugar for £21.9m back in 2000, and they have since increased their stake in the club to 85.5 per cent.
Their time in charge has been praised for the development of a new stadium, efficient financial management and Spurs regularly qualifying for the Champions League and finishing in the top echelons of the Premier League.
They have also diversified the club’s income over recent years, with their stadium hosting concerts, NFL games and even heavyweight boxing fights, among other high-profile events.
However, with the club’s last title being a League Cup in 2008, Spurs fans have become increasingly frustrated at what they perceive is a lack of ambition from the ownership and there have been increasing protests against the club’s hierarchy in recent times.
Levy is the face of the club, with Lewis a silent owner and based out in the Bahamas.
Chairman Levy is understood to have welcomed a number of potential buyers to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a number of occasions in recent months.
With a modern stadium and as members of the ‘Big Six’, Spurs are an attractive proposition
Najafi (circled) considered investing in Everton and he attended their match vs Southampton
Spurs are an attractive proposition to investors as a member of the ‘Big Six’ and the club reported revenues were £444m for the year ending June 2022 – an £83m rise on the previous year.
The interest in Tottenham comes at a time when both Manchester United and Liverpool are up for sale by American investors.
Najafi would become the latest US billionaire to join the ranks of Premier League owners after both Chelsea and Bournemouth were taken over by American owners last year, with the Blues sold for £4.25bn last May to a Todd Boehly-led consortium.
In total, there are currently 10 Premier League clubs owned by Americans.
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