Vanessa Gold, daughter of former West Ham co-owner David Gold, has confirmed the family intends to sell its stake in the club to a consortium led by ex-Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley.
BBC Sport previously revealed the Gold family had been in discussions with Staveley’s consortium, which includes her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, about a 25% share in the Championship club.
In a statement, Vanessa Gold said: “I have now reached an agreement to sell my family’s shareholding to a consortium of PCP Capital Partners, led by Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, in partnership with Ashland Forest Capital Partners.
“While the process has not yet concluded, I wanted to be open with our fans about where things stand and my intentions.”
David Gold, who died in 2023, served as West Ham’s joint chairman for 13 years alongside long-time business partner David Sullivan.
Sullivan remains the club’s largest shareholder, with Daniel Kretinsky holding the next biggest stake.
Kretinsky’s EP Group held talks with the Gold family earlier this summer, shortly after West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League, about acquiring the family’s stake to become the club’s single largest shareholder, but those negotiations collapsed.
BBC Sport reported in June that the proposed deal would have increased Kretinsky’s holding from 27% to 43%, surpassing Sullivan’s 38.8%.
Staveley and Ghodoussi were shareholders at Newcastle from 2021 to 2024 and were involved in the club’s takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Vanessa Gold added: “My ambition throughout this process has been to ensure the club has the right leadership and ownership to enable West Ham to achieve its potential and return to its rightful place in the Premier League.
“Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and PCP Capital Partners will bring deep experience and understanding of what it takes to lead a successful football club. I have every confidence in what she and her partners can bring to West Ham.”
Kretinsky did not share Gold’s view, with his spokesperson issuing a statement in response to news of the imminent agreement with Staveley’s group.
This read: “The agreement we had reached with the Gold family in June provided stability for the club at a crucial time. Today’s announcement does the opposite.
“We will always act in the best interests of West Ham United and are reviewing all of our options, including exercising our pre-emption rights in full.”
Pre-emption rights are provisions that let existing shareholders buy shares before they are offered to external parties.
Gold and Kretinsky issued a joint statement in June expressing deep concern over allegations of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour made against Sullivan, 77, following a joint investigation by BBC Panorama and The Times.
Sullivan has “categorically” denied those allegations.
West Ham open the new season with a Carabao Cup first-round home tie against Portsmouth on Saturday, 8 August, followed by their first Championship fixture at Burnley eight days later.