Stan and Josh Kroenke have released a statement reiterating their commitment to Arsenal amid reported interest to buy the club from the co-founder of Spotify.
Daniel Ek appeared to seize upon the fury among Arsenal fans when revealing he would consider buying the club in a Twitter post on Friday, the very evening supporters gathered outside the Emirates Stadium for “Kroenke Out” protests.
Ek, who is said to be an avid Arsenal fan, is even believed to have enlisted the help of club legends Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira as he looks to put a serious offer on the table.
However, current owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) have said they remain fully committed to the club.
A KSE statement read: “In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a potential takeover bid for Arsenal Football Club. We remain 100% committed to Arsenal and are not selling any stake in the Club. We have not received any offer and we will not entertain any offer.
“Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this. Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.”
The stance reaffirms what was said by Josh Kroenke, a director at Arsenal, during a fans’ forum last week after the club joined and then withdrew from the European Super League.
Asked when KSE wanted to sell, Kroenke replied: “I am not willing to answer that question because we have no intention of selling.
“I believe we are fit to carry on in our position as custodians of Arsenal. We were put in a very difficult position by forces outside of the club.
“We have the same plans for summer that we had several weeks ago and I’m still excited about those. So I might be met with mistrust, I might be met with scepticism, but over time I hope to establish some sort of relationship with our supporter groups and show them that we are capable of taking our club forward.”
Stan Kroenke, who has a net worth of $8.2bn (£5.89bn), has been the majority shareholder of Arsenal since 2011.
Meanwhile, Ek is the CEO of music streaming service Spotify. Forbes says the 38-year-old Swede’s net worth stands at $4.7bn (£3.38bn), while the company – founded in 2006 – is worth £54bn (£38.8bn).
He said on Friday: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”
Forbes estimate Arsenal is worth around £2bn.
According to Sky Sports, Ek will give an interview on CNBC on Wednesday, where he is expected to be asked about his Arsenal interest.
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