Staveley forced to clarify Spurs bid intention after Levy exit

Amanda Staveley, the erstwhile Newcastle United Football Club joint-owner, volition connected Monday beryllium forced to clarify her involvement successful bidding for Premier League nine Tottenham Hotspur pursuing seasoned president Daniel Levy's unexpected departure past week.

Sky News has learnt that PCP International Finance, a conveyance controlled by Ms Staveley, is expected to contented a connection pursuing discussions with the UK takeover watchdog saying that she does not mean to marque a ceremonial connection for Spurs.

People adjacent to the concern said connected Sunday that Ms Staveley had been successful discussions with prospective backers of a bid for the nine successful caller weeks.

Spurs' ownership is analyzable by the information that it is taxable to the UK Takeover Code - governed by the Takeover Panel - due to the fact that the nine is majority-owned by London-listed Enic.

Under the provisions successful the Code, PCP could yet instrumentality with a ceremonial takeover bid for Spurs if invited to bash truthful by the committee of Enic, oregon if a rival bidder announces its volition to marque a firms connection for past season's Europa League winners.

City sources pointed to these caveats arsenic being peculiarly applicable to Ms Staveley's imaginable ongoing involvement successful Spurs.

Enic owns a involvement of astir 87% successful the club, with the remaining shares owned by a radical of number investors.

Mr Levy reportedly owns a involvement of astir 30% successful Enic.

His exit past week aft astir 25 years arsenic Tottenham president was seemingly driven by a tendency to inject caller momentum into the enactment of the club.

In a connection past week, it said: "Tottenham Hotspur has been transformed implicit the past 4th of a century.

"It has played successful European competitions successful the past 18 of 20 seasons, becoming 1 of the world's astir recognised shot clubs, consistently investing successful its academy, players and facilities, including a new, world-class stadium and authorities of the creation grooming centre."

Rothschild, the concern bank, had antecedently been engaged by Mr Levy to rise hundreds of millions of superior to put successful Spurs.

Those discussions are understood to person progressive a scope of parties successful the past year.

Any takeover bid for Spurs, careless of the individuality of the bidder, would beryllium apt to worth astatine good successful excess of £3.5bn for it to beryllium deemed acceptable.

A spokesperson for Ms Staveley declined to remark connected Sunday evening.