Report: £1-billion Arsenal bid not interesting committed Kroenke
Stan Kroenke remains committed to leading Arsenal and hasn't had his head turned by fellow shareholder Alisher Usmanov's £1-billion offer for a controlling stake in the club, sources told BBC Sport.
Usmanov currently owns a 30 percent share of the Gunners, and reportedly submitted a letter to Kroenke which included a bid to purchase an undisclosed portion of Kroenke's 67 percent. It was enough to gain a majority stake in the north London outfit.
But Kroenke, who completed a full takeover of Arsenal in 2011, is apparently committed to seeing the club win the Premier League for the first time since 2004, and establishing it among the European elite.
The American's loyalty won't be gratefully received by a significant portion of the Emirates Stadium faithful. He's been one of the scapegoats for an era of stasis at Arsenal, enabling manager Arsene Wenger to churn out top-four finishes each season with no significant push for honours both domestically and continentally.
Usmanov told Bloomberg in April that Kroenke must "bear huge responsibility" for Arsenal's failings.
Concluding this term in the best quartet may be out of reach for Arsenal. There's one point between it and fourth-placed Liverpool with a match remaining, and missing out would cost the club around £50 million in revenue. This, along with a seventh consecutive failure to advance beyond the Round of 16 in the Champions League, has led to calls for Wenger to leave after 21 years when his contract expires this summer.
"A long-standing critic of the current board, (Usmanov) has attempted to curry favour with fans by calling for greater investment by Stan Kroenke. He believes the team should be performing at a much higher level," said BBC Sports' Richard Conway.
"Now, with questions swirling over Arsene Wenger's future and with a lack of Champions League football next season looking inevitable, he has made his move.
"However, he has been rebuffed."
Wenger announced on Friday that he will reveal his Arsenal fate following the FA Cup final bout with Chelsea next Saturday.
Related: Wenger's future at Arsenal to be resolved after FA Cup final