Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has further increased his stake in Arsenal to 23%.
Even though the Arsenal board maintain they are not about to sell up and the current financial figures show there is no need for a wealthy individual backer, the latest announcement will continue to fuel speculation Usmanov is preparing to launch a hostile takeover.
A statement read: "Red and White Holdings Limited ('Red & White') announces, in accordance with its intentions stated on the 30th August, that it has increased its shareholding and now holds a 23% stake in Arsenal Holdings plc ('Arsenal')."