West Ham co-chair Daniel Kretinsky has sold just over 2% of his stake in the club to Czech businessman Jakub Havrlant. This move could scupper Amanda Staveley's attempts to buy into the club. Vanessa Gold, West Ham's other co-chair, confirmed her family's plans to sell shares to a consortium headed by ex-Newcastle United co-owner Staveley.

However, the deal is subject to pre-emption rights, giving existing shareholders first refusal to match Staveley's offer. Kretinsky, who bought 27% of West Ham in 2021, is using this sale to position himself to buy Gold's 25.1% stake without exceeding the 50% threshold that would force a mandatory takeover bid.

While David Sullivan still owns 38.8%, it remains unclear if he could make an offer for Gold's shares given recent allegations. The full process regarding the Gold family's shares is expected to take roughly two months due to the nature of the pre-emption rounds.