Staveley eyeing London Stadium purchase in West Ham bid – but faces three-year wait

Amanda Staveley would look to buy the London Stadium if she won the race to buy a major stake in West Ham with the major of London open to its sale.

The Hammers are preparing for a first season in the Championship for more than a decade but there remains a battle to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the club. Staveley, who masterminded the Saudi takeover of Newcastle, is looking to get involved with West Ham.

Any deal could also see her push for the purchase of the London Stadium, which has been the club's home since 2016. It has proved a controversial move with one of the major issues being they don't own the venue. They do however pay a minimal rent - initially £4.4million which halved after their relegation.

The tax payer are footing the bulk of the bill and Sir Sadiq Khan would be open to moving on the asset - which could be available for as little as £50million. A spokesman told The Times: “The Mayor would welcome any discussions regarding the London Stadium that would deliver greater value for money for Londoners.”

One of the major issues in purchasing the 62,500-seater stadium is its athletic use with UK Athletics still having 40 years left on a concession agreement deal that gives them access to the stadium for events such as the London Diamond League.

Khan has also been key in fronting London's bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships and any changes to the stadium would have to be delayed until after that date if they were awarded the event.

One of the criticisms of the London Stadium is that it remains tailored to athletic events, given it was built to host the 2012 Olympics. The fan's lack of proximity to the pitch and the atmosphere has long been cited as an issue but West Ham have had their hands tied.

Staveley and the consortium she is fronting with her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, would have to see off the challenge of Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech billionaire owner of Royal Mail who is currently a co-owner of the Hammers.

Fellow co-owner David Sullivan went to the team's first game of the season on Saturday despite advice from the stadium's owner to stay away following allegations of sexual misconduct. He has strongly denied all accusations, while he stood down as joint club chairman.

The 77-year-old saw West Ham beat Portsmouth 3-1 in the Carabao Cup, despite London Stadium officials urging him not to attend over safeguarding issues.

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