Source: Daily_Mail
American consortium line up £100m takeover at troubled West Ham United
West Ham are a £100million takeover target for an American consortium.
The Intermarket Group - headed by Wall Street mogul Jim Bowe - are reported to have began negotiations on Friday night, according to the News of the World.
The London-based consortium intend to complete a deal in time to hand manager Gianfranco Zola money to spend in the January transfer window.
'My colleagues and I have been approached by the consortium with the aim of buying West Ham in its entirety,' said businessman Bowe, a former head of the New York Board of Trade.
'We are not interested in just taking on the debt, or securing a percentage. We want to get West Ham back on track for the upper echelons of the Premier League.
'We want what the fans want and there is no restriction on us as to how we achieve that aim. We are in the early stages of our discussions with the club.
'But we are optimistic that we can develop a proposal that will benefit all parties. The best deal is the deal where everyone feels that they've won.
'The consortium comprises West Ham supporters who have made serious money in the City, the United States and elsewhere and who see the potential in the club, its fanbase, academy and playing staff.
'The people involved have the money required, and, more importantly, the right sentiments. They have no interest in interfering with the playing side of things, but they will make money available in the January transfer window.
'They also possess the expertise to see West Ham restructured and organised in a way that will help the club realise its potential. Fortune has been hiding for too long.'
Bowe was recruited to manage the deal and the group contacted Andrew Bernhardt, chairman of CB Holdings, the company that runs West Ham.
If Bowe's bid is successful, it could end 18 months of turmoil at the Hammers, who have been taken to the brink of extinction.
