ENIC could be forced to reduce their valuation of a Tottenham Hotspur takeover by £750 million, handing private Qatari investors a potential boost in their plans to buy the club in the form of a phased buyout.
Qatari consortium hatch plan to buy Tottenham
The Guardian and journalist Matt Hughes broke news earlier this week that unnamed private Qatari investors, who are not linked to Sheikh Jassim or the government-backed QSI, are hatching plans to instigate an eventual takeover of Spurs.
The possible acquisition of ENIC's majority shares could apparently come through the form of a phased buyout, and it is believed that these Middle Eastern investors could keep hold of chairman Daniel Levy in a long-term club management role, in a controversial move considering how divisive the board chief is right now.
While Spurs sources insist that they're not currently involved in takeover negotiations, this group of private Qatari bidders are apparently "seeking to buy" Tottenham, (The Guardian), so the prospect of the Lilywhites eventually gaining new ownership appears to be getting more and more real.
This comes as supporters plan more protests against Levy and ENIC after Spurs' clash with Man United in the Premier League on Sunday. Protest group 'change for Tottenham' released an online poster in the build up to this weekend.
“No matter the result, applaud the players as they leave the pitch. Show them our appreciation for their efforts.
“Once the players have left the pitch, remain in the stadium and gather in the South Stand lower for a sit-in protest. From there, we will make it clear to the board – who will hear us from their luxury lounge – that enough is enough.”
Previous reports have claimed that ENIC value Tottenham at up to £4.5 billion, whilst other more recent reports state that the value of a takeover would be around £3.75 billion.
Tottenham forced into potential £750 million takeover discount
Now, according to Football Insider, it is believed this figure could drop by a further amount. Indeed, a Tottenham takeover would now likely be worth up to £3 billion - around £750 million below ENIC's current price of £3.75 billion - with interested parties apparently unwilling to shell out the latter figure.
Interestingly, former Everton CEO Keith Wyness recently suggested that the interest from Qatar in Spurs has been there for quite some time, and parties from that state could now pay less for a full acquisition of the club.
“There’s no doubt there is real interest from Qatar," said Wyness. “I think a London club like Spurs fit the profile, but the problem is with PSG and how they’d handle that with the Champions League rules. But at the moment, Spurs aren’t threatening to make the Champions League.
“Qatar like to invest in clubs with big assets, like the new stadium. I do think it would work. We might see something develop out of this."