The Spotify owner Daniel Ek has revealed he made a bid to buy Arsenal this week that was rejected by the Kroenke family.
Ek, who has joined forces with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira in the hope of persuading the current owners to sell the club, said the bid failed but his interest remains.
In a tweet sent on Saturday evening, the 38-year-old Swedish billionaire, wrote: “Inaccurate reports emerged today saying I have not made a bid for Arsenal Football Club. I think it’s important to correct the record – this week an offer was made to both Josh Kroenke and their bankers that included fan ownership, representation at board and a golden share for the supporters.
“They replied that they don’t need the money. I respect their decision but remain interested and available should that situation ever change.”
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Stan Kroenke, who owns Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, is thought to want at least £2bn if he is to consider selling the club he has run since April 2011 and some sources place that figure considerably higher. Ek’s personal fortune is estimated to be around £3.4bn although figures close to the nascent consortium say he would have little problem amassing the sum necessary to tempt Kroenke into selling.