Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur has moved quickly to deny reports that it is in talks with a potential buyer backed by Facebook Inc’s (NASDAQ:FB) billionaire owner Mark Zuckerberg.
Spurs – who finished second in England’s top domestic league last year – took the unusual step of issuing a public stock exchange announcement to dismiss the takeover speculation on Monday morning.
Press reports over the weekend had suggested that American investment company Iconiq Capital – which manages the wealth of several silicon valley billionaires – had shown an interest in buying the North London club for around US$1.3bn (£1bn).
Tottenham brushed off the rumours though, stating: “The board is not in any discussions relating to a takeover offer for the club.”
That doesn’t mean a bid won’t be forthcoming though, as Iconiq is said to have been in talks with a number of third-party intermediaries which could help to broker a deal, rather than with the club directly.
Spurs is currently majority owned by ENIC International, the investment vehicle of British billionaire and FX trader Joe Lewis.