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Tottenham Hotspur deny reports of Facebook-backed takeover talks

Published: 08:51 10 Jul 2017 BST

mark zuckerberg
Spurs is currently majority owned by ENIC International, the investment vehicle of British billionaire Joe Lewis

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.

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