£450million Tottenham Hotspur takeover bid

Powerhouse Yankees are said to be weighing up an offer for a major stake in the White Hart Lane outfit according to the dailystar.co.uk.

The interest comes after Yankees ­owner George Steinbrenner died aged 80 last week, and control of the fabled club, who have won 27 World Series, passed down to his sons Hal and Hank.

Hank, a former college soccer player, expressed an interest in buying the club in the early 1990s but the deal never finalised.

Back then, the Yankees were ­approached to buy a 33 per cent ­interest in Tottenham for around £20m, but they passed up the option and it is a decision that Hank still regrets.

Now he is said to be rekindling his interest, following the lead of Denver ­Nuggets basketball owner Stan Kroenke, who has snapped up 29.9 per cent of the shares at north London rivals Arsenal.

Coincidentally, Spurs are in the Big Apple to play New York Red Bulls this week.

The Steinbrenners have no interest in adding to their sports portfolio by ­ buying into the NBA, NFL or NHL.
But Tottenham’s rise in recent seasons, ­culminating in their fourth-place finish and the prospect of Champions League football this season, makes them an ­attractive proposition.

Current owner Joe Lewis, 73, could be tempted. The Bahamas-based, East End-born businessman is worth £1.5billion but he and his partners lost £500m in the Bear Stearns bank collapse.

Many foreign owners are respected by many English fans, but this cannot be said for Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool fans are holding owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks responsible for the downfall of Liverpool and the Glazer family who has seen Manchester continue their success locally and in the Champions League always face hostility for the way they do business at ­Manchester United.

Ellis Short is well liked by Sunderland and Randy Lerner who owns NFL's Cleveland Browns is also liked by the Aston Villa fans.

If the Steinbrenners were to buy into Tottenham, it would be positive news for boss Harry Redknapp who would see his transfer kitty bolstered by fresh funds.