Daniel Ek, the founder of an online music streaming platform, Spotify, has confirmed that the current owners of Arsenal have rejected his offer to buy the club.
The Swedish billionaire in a statement he issued during the weekend said he approached the director of the club, Josh Kroenke alongside the bank of the club with his offer, but they turned it down.
Recall that since April 2021, Daniel Ek has been pushing to buy Arsenal which he said has been his childhood club. His interest in the club became public amid agitation against the owner of the club, Stan Kroenke.
Arsenal’s fans are not happy that Kroenke signed up the club to the failed European Super League. The decision of the club’s owners to sign up the club to the failed breakaway league sparked their dislike for the leadership of Kroenke who they claimed has not invested enough into the club and has not been carrying the fans along in the decision making process of the club.
Hence, Daniel Ek decided to take advantage of the agitation against the club’s owners and the claim that Arsenal are battling financial difficulties to attempt to buy the club.
To realize his dream, he decided to bring in three legends of the club, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira to help in the bidding process.
After winning over the three legends, Daniel Ek who is reportedly worth $4.7 billion decided to make an official bid even though the Kroenke family had repeatedly said they are not interested in selling the club.
At the end of the process, Daniel Ek confirmed that his effort to buy Arsenal has failed but he is still open to the deal if the Kroenkes change their mind.
He wrote: “This week an offer was made to both Josh Kroenke and their bankers that included fan ownership, representation at the board, and a golden share for the supporters.
“They replied that they don’t need the money. I respect their decision but remain interested and available should that situation ever change.”
Amidst interest from Daniel Ek, Arsenal released a new kit
Arsenal have released their new kit for their away games ahead of the 2020-2021 season. The new kit is designed by the club’s sportswear partner, Adidas.
Below are pictures of the new kit:
Pride and passion.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 15, 2021
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