View: Surprise Tottenham takeover twist as Jay-Z shows interest amid Joe Lewis issues
Takeover rumblings have begun to swirl around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once again with a surprise name now being mentioned.
Joe Lewis – whose family trust owns Tottenham Hotspur – is facing charges of insider trading and securities fraud in America.
Lewis appeared in court on Wednesday (26 July) to plead not guilty and was released on bail, with his trial expected to take place later this year.
The Daily Express (29 July) has since reported that a surprise name has emerged as an interested party in launching a takeover of the club. None other than iconic rapper Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter.
“More than a few of the very top clubs there – like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea – are now under US ownership and Jay would jump at the chance of a controlling interest at board level somewhere with the global reach of Spurs,” a close business associate of Jay Z claimed, according to the Express.
Many fans will be baffled by this news that the hip-hop icon, who is a joint owner of the NBA side Brooklyn Nets, is interested in a takeover and wonder if something like this is even financially possible. A breakdown of the 53-year-old’s wealth and Spurs’ value suggests it is very much achievable.
According to Forbes, based on calculations from May of this year, Tottenham is worth £2.3billion, which is of course a mind-boggling amount of money, although not as mind-boggling for someone such as Jay-Z.
One of the artists behind the hit-song Empire State of Mind, the music and business mogul is worth £1.9billion himself, according to Forbes, and would look to lead an American investment group in a takeover of the Premier League club.
Much like the 49ers Enterprises recent acquisition of Leeds United, although that was a far cheaper deal, it is entirely feasible that this could be achieved with the right investors behind Carter.
This is certainly a story to keep an eye on and for Spurs, who always seem to have 99 problems, they will hope a new owner wouldn’t be one.
In other Tottenham News, a recent link between Spurs and Kylian Mbappe is a financial fairytale.