Sources indicate that last week Stan Kroenke, the American sports mogul, upped his stake in Arsenal FC by an additional 7 shares purchased at a price of £8,500 each.

As last reported, Kroenke was a mere 17 shares away from the 30% level in December, this latest addition brings him within 10 shares.  Should he reach 30% ownership he will be required to make a bid for all remaining shares of the club.  Meanwhile, the other main figure in the battle for ownership of the Arse, Alisher Usmanov has not reported an increase in his stake for several months.

It remains to be seen who is playing a game of speculation and who actually wants to own the club.  Given Kroenke’s history with American sports franchises the smart money would probably be on that pony.

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Are the two billionaires paying a fair price for the club? An analysis of the share purchases by Kroenke and Usmanov here.