Former Newcastle United joint-owner Amanda Staveley is expected to make a statement on Monday saying that she does not intend to take over Tottenham Hotspur.
Sky News has learnt that PCP International Finance, a vehicle controlled by Staveley, will be forced to clarify its interest in bidding for Spurs, following discussions with the UK takeover watchdog, after chairman Daniel Levy unexpectedly stepped down.
People close to the situation said on Sunday that Staveley had been in discussions with prospective backers of a bid for the club in recent weeks.
Levy reportedly owns a stake of almost 30 per cent in ENIC, while Joe Lewis, ENIC’s majority-owner, transferred control of his stake in Spurs to his family trust in 2022. A source close to the Lewis family said on Sunday evening: “The club is not for sale.”
ENIC owns a stake of nearly 87 per cent in the club, with the remaining shares owned by a group of minority investors.
Spurs’ ownership is complicated by the fact that it is subject to the UK Takeover Code – governed by the Takeover Panel.
Under the provisions in the Code, PCP could yet return with a formal takeover bid for Spurs if invited to do so by the board of ENIC, or if a rival bidder announces its intention to make a firm offer for last season’s Europa League winners.
City sources pointed to these caveats as being particularly relevant to Staveley’s potential ongoing interest in Spurs.
Levy’s exit last week after nearly 25 years as Tottenham chairman was apparently driven by a desire to inject fresh momentum into the leadership of the club.
In a statement last week, it said: “Tottenham Hotspur has been transformed over the last quarter of a century.
“It has played in European competitions in the last 18 of 20 seasons, becoming one of the world’s most recognised football clubs, consistently investing in its academy, players and facilities, including a new, world-class stadium and state-of-the-art training centre.”
Rothschild, the investment bank, had previously been engaged by Levy to raise hundreds of millions of capital to invest in Spurs. Those discussions are understood to have involved a range of parties in the past year.
Any takeover bid for Spurs, regardless of the identity of the bidder, would be likely to be valued at well in excess of £3.5bn for it to be deemed acceptable.
Staveley and her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, left Newcastle last summer after becoming directors and minority co-owners of the club in October 2021.
A spokesman for Staveley declined to comment on Sunday evening.
