Former Newcastle backer Staveley eyes Gold stake in West Ham United

The financier who backed the takeover of Newcastle United Football Club alongside Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is in talks to buy a minority stake in West Ham United, the newly relegated Championship club.

Sky News understands that Amanda Staveley is plotting to acquire part or all of the 25.1% stake in the Hammers owned by the Gold family.

The talks are not certain to reach a successful conclusion, and have been complicated by pre-emption rights which dictate that West Ham's existing investors have first refusal on any shares which change hands.

One source said the situation at West Ham was "extremely fluid" and might not result in Ms Staveley becoming a shareholder in the club.

In mid-June, Vanessa Gold and Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech tycoon who holds a 27% stake in the club, issued a statement to say that they had struck a deal for him to buy roughly 16% of the club from her.

"We have reached agreement on the key terms of a share purchase transaction between the Gold family and 1890 Holdings, which, subject to other shareholders' pre-emption rights and necessary approvals, would make 1890 Holdings (part of the broader group EP) the largest shareholder in West Ham with an approximately 43% stake," they said.

"As the largest shareholder, group EP will be able to provide the additional financing the Club needs."

Although the statement said they hoped to finalise the transaction within a couple of weeks, that milestone has yet to be reached.

Sources close to the situation insisted that Mr Kretinsky remains interested in a deal, although West Ham's ownership structure meant he did not want to acquire all of the Gold-owned stake, which would make him the club's majority owner.

One said the share purchase talks involving Ms Staveley were understood to value West Ham at up to £600m.

West Ham, whose men's team was relegated on the final day of the Premier League season, was plunged into crisis in June when David Sullivan stepped down from his role as co-chairman amid allegations aired in a BBC Panorama episode about his behaviour towards women.

Mr Sullivan, who has denied any wrongdoing, remains the largest shareholder in the club with a 38.8% stake, although reports have suggested that he is open to the sale of his stake.

Last week, Sky News reported that talks about the sale of a stake in West Ham's women's team had stalled over the buyer's demands to acquire it outright.

Ms Staveley, who sold her minority stake in Newcastle United in 2024, has been linked with a bid for West Ham on several occasions over the last year.

Questioned several months ago about whether she was interested in the London club, which plays at the London Stadium, she said: "Maybe, you don't know.

"We've looked at a lot of clubs, including Tottenham, but we are looking at clubs around the Premier League and the UK, Europe.

"We really want to be buying, going in and investing into a club again very soon."

Ms Staveley and spokespeople for West Ham United, Mr Kretinsky and Ms Gold all declined to comment.

(c) Sky News 2026: Former Newcastle backer Staveley eyes Gold stake in West Ham United