Tottenham takeover: Why Jay-Z is plotting to buy club despite Arsenal links | OneFootball

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American rapper Jay-Z has sensationally been linked with a move to buy Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

British billionaire Joe Lewis, whose family owns Spurs, has been accused of orchestrating a "brazen" insider trading scheme to enrich friends and lovers.

It means, if found guilty, that the north London side will likely find themselves in need of new ownership and Jay-Z is reportedly ready to 'move quickly' if a chance to buy the club arises.

What's happened to Joe Lewis?

Born in London, Lewis holds a number of assets through his Tavistock Group portfolio, which has investments in hundreds of companies across 10 countries.

He was also previously the owner of ENIC Group, where Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy owns 29.88 per cent of the share capital.

Lewis has been charged with 16 counts of security fraud and three counts of conspiracy. The billionaire is accused of abusing his access to corporate board rooms and repeatedly sharing inside information in order to "shower gifts on his friends and lovers.'

The 86-year-old has denied the charges and pled not guilty, but what is likely to happen to Spurs?

Luckily for Tottenham, they're unlikely to face any serious consequences even if Lewis were to be convicted.

Because he's now ended any interest in ENIC and stepped down last October from the Lewis Family Trusts, the body owning shares in Tottenham, English top-flight chiefs are believed to be satisfied there is no link to Spurs.

The club itself have stated that Lewis' court case is a private matter and will not be commented on publicly.

Why is Jay-Z interested in buying Spurs?

Despite being famous for his music, Jay-Z is known to be a big football fan.

In fact, he's one of a number of famous celebrities who have allegiances to Premier League clubs. Check out the most famous figures for every side in England's top flight below.

The hip-hop icon is also aware of the growing number of Premier League sides under US ownership and is therefore tempted by the prospect of owning one of the biggest clubs in England.

Currently, four of the top six are owned by Americans – John Henry at Liverpool, Stan Kroenke at Arsenal, Todd Boehly at Chelsea and the Glazer family at Manchester United.

A business associate of the musician told The Express: "More than a few of the very top clubs there (England) – 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."

They added: "It remains to be seen whether Mr. Lewis will walk away free. If he doesn't, Jay has said he wants to be in a position to move quickly if he feels the price is right.

"He believes this is achievable, especially with the backing of fellow investors."

Can Jay-Z actually afford to buy the club, though?

The answer is, probably. Indeed, the rapper has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and owns his own record label.

His business investments over the years also saw him become the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019. Oh, and to add to all of this, he's married to Beyonce – whose own net worth is said to be around $500 million.

Overall, Jay-Z's estimated fortune is around $2.5bn, while Forbes' most recent valuation of Spurs earlier this year was $2.8bn.

Jay-Z's links to Arsenal

The links between Jay-Z and Spurs may come as a surprise to some, especially given the rapper has previously stated he is an Arsenal fan.

"Everybody in the UK knows that I am an Arsenal fan,' he told the NME back in 2010.

"When Thierry Henry was at the club I saw him play and I just thought he was an amazing player.

"Ever since then, I have been a big fan of the club. I think he had a real long-term effect on the team."

He even offered Arsenal's players free tickets to come and see him perform whenever he came to London.

"If there are [any fans in the Arsenal squad] they would be more than welcome to come to my next concert when I am over in London," he told Arsenal Magazine.

"They can come and see me do my work, and then I will come and see them do their work."

Back in 2013, Jay-Z even watched the Gunners in action against Man United, while sitting next to Coldplay's Chris Martin.

It seems strange then, that a supposed Arsenal supporter would want to buy their arch-rivals.

Maybe the rapper's interest in Arsenal at the time was overstated, or maybe he sees the takeover of Spurs as purely a business move.

Either way, it seems pretty peculiar.

Tottenham's transfer window so far

Amid the ongoing speculation surrounding the future ownership of the club, Spurs have still been relatively active in the transfer market this summer.

Striker Manor Solomon, who was on loan at Fulham last season, has arrived on a free transfer, while Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski has completed his permanent move.

Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has also arrived from Empoli and is likely to slot in as first choice immediately.

Their biggest coup so far has been the signing of James Maddison from Leicester. The Englishman has been one of the best-attacking midfielders in the Premier League for a number of seasons and has joined the north London club from the Foxes for £40m.

Despite their incomings this window, there are still some Spurs fans who feel disgruntled with the lack of spending in recent years.