Tottenham Hotspur takeover: Spurs move to deny investment company's talk of buying club

The American firm had earlier stated that they had held talks

Tottenham Hotspur have denied they are in talks with the private investment company Cain Hoy over selling the club, although they admitted that meetings between them took place to discuss finance for the new stadium.

The club was forced to respond to a statement by Cain Hoy expressing an interest in buying Spurs, which is controlled by the Bahamas-based billionaire Joe Lewis and chairman Daniel Levy through their company Enic. Valuations have ranged from £600m up to £1bn.

Little is known about Cain Hoy but the takeover is led by British-born head of European investment Jonathan Goldstein and the chief executive is Henry Silverman, an American who, like Goldstein, was at the asset-management company Guggenheim.

The move by Cain Hoy has come in the same week that Spurs announced they will have to leave White Hart Lane for at least one season if they are to complete their new stadium on the same site before the 2018-2019 season.

Tottenham said it was “not in takeover discussions with Cain Hoy or any other party”. It added: “As stated in the announcement regarding the new stadium project, THFC has been in discussions with multiple providers of finance so that the optimum financing package for the project can be achieved and, in the course of those considerations, has met representatives of Cain Hoy. However, there are no ongoing discussions with Cain Hoy. The club is focused on the new stadium development and the season ahead.”

Earlier, Cain Hoy said it would make a final decision by 10 October on whether to make an offer for the club.