Daniel Ek ‘to submit £1.8bn Arsenal takeover bid by end of week’ as Spotify CEO and Gunners fan ups pressure on Kroenke
SPOTIFY CEO Daniel Ek will reportedly submit a formal bid in the region of £1.8billion to Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke by the end of the week.
The Swedish billionaire is poised to test the American's resolve by turning his high-profile interest into a concrete offer.
Ek, 38, is a Gunners fan and has teamed up with Invincibles Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp.
Speaking to CNBC last week, Ek - believed to be worth over £3bn - insisted he has the funds to assume control of Arsenal.
The Kroenke family have publicly insisted they will not entertain any offers but it has been claimed they could be tempted to do business, at the right price.
And according to the , Ek will submit a £1.8bn offer by the end of the week after attempting to make contact with Kroenke over the weekend.
Arsenal legend Henry confirmed Ek has already "reached out" to the current owner, as the he confirmed he is part of the Swede's consortium.
When asked if he was part of the potential takeover team, Henry - speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football - said: "It is true.
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"Daniel [Ek] is an Arsenal fan. He did not say it for any publicity, he has been an Arsenal fan for a very long time.
"He approached us, we listened to him. And we knew, first and foremost, that he wanted to involve the fans."
Before adding: "He wants to re-inject the Arsenal DNA, the identity that I think is long gone.
"They don't have a lot of Arsenal people among the board who can show the right direction, and that's what Daniel wants to do.
"He already reached out and said himself that he has collected the funds to put in a good bid.
"A lot of people have been screaming that they want the owner out.
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"We are trying to offer a solution, involving the fans and the DNA back at the club.
"The takeover is going to be a long, and not easy, and Daniel will not move away, he will be there waiting to see if they want to sell.
"That's going to take a very long time. We know what we want to do but, first and foremost, we need to make sure that we take over, if they are listening."
