A billionaire with a net worth double that of Daniel Kretinsky, David Sullivan and David Gold combined has been linked with a West Ham takeover.
Next month marks the one-year anniversary since Czech billionaire Kretinsky became West Ham’s second biggest stakeholder.
The “Czech Sphinx” paid a reported £150m for 27 per cent of West Ham last November and it was predicted his arrival would allow the Hammers to go bigger and better than before in the transfer market.
That certainly proved to be the case during an unprecedented summer which saw West Ham spend £170m on eight quality signings.
Kretinsky has repeatedly been linked with an eventual full takeover of West Ham (The Evening Standard).
And there has been speculation for years that Sullivan and Gold would sell their stakes in the Hammers in 2023.
Any sale by Sullivan and Gold before March 2023 would incur a cost as part of the deal which saw West Ham move from Upton Park to the London Stadium.
It was agreed that if Sullivan and Gold sold the club for more than £300million before that date, 20 per cent of any profit would go to the ground’s landlord, the London Legacy Development Corporation.
Kretinsky’s investment last year values West Ham at around £700m.
Billionaire with net worth double that of Daniel Kretinsky, David Sullivan and David Gold combined linked with West Ham takeover
Club insiders have denied Sullivan and Gold are looking to sell next year.
But takeover speculation is likely to ramp up between now and next summer and beyond with the expiry of the clause.
And now a billionaire with a net worth double that of Kretinsky, Sullivan and Gold combined has been linked with a West Ham takeover.
According to The Daily Mirror, Sir Jim Ratcliffe could target West Ham after a Manchester United takeover was ruled out.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe tried to buy Chelsea before their American takeover.
And the Oldham-born billionaire certainly has the money to buy West Ham given he’s worth double the reported net worth of the current owners put together.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s net worth is listed at between £9.35-10.5bn. Kretinsky’s is listed at £4.27bn, Sullivan’s at around £1bn and Gold’s around £400m.
Ratcliffe owns chemicals company Ineos and suggested he could explore other opportunities in the Premier League at a Financial Times Live event last week.
After officially ruling out a bid for Manchester United, Ratcliffe is reported to have said: “We have a sports franchise. We own a third of Mercedes’ Formula 1 team. Robbed last year. The one thing we don’t have… football is the most popular sport in the world. We should have a Premier club.”