Speculation that Arsenal may soon be the subject of a takeover bid has been further fuelled by the news that American billionaire Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in the club to 12.19 per cent.
The spectre of a possible hostile takeover has been hanging over the club since Gunners vice-chairman David Dein sensationally departed on Wednesday after apparently falling out with his fellow board members over whether to welcome Kroenke's advances.
Following the news of Dein's shock exit, chairman Peter Hill-Wood insisted that the historic club's board would not be looking to sell their shares and that any hostile takeover from Kroenke would be stringently resisted.
However, the club will now be forced to deal with renewed speculation regarding the possibility of Kroenke taking control after his Kroenke Sports Enterprises group increased their holding to 12.19%.
The American became a major player at Emirates Stadium when purchasing ITV's 9.9% stake on April 12th, with Arsenal director Danny Fiszman also selling Kroenke around 1% of his own holding.
