London Irish have confirmed they are “considering a number of offers” after news broke of a potential multi-million pound takeover.
Reported over the weekend in The Daily Telegraph, five businessmen, three of which are based in Ireland, are said to have bid £3.5 million to buy the club.
If successful, they aim to “secure the club’s long-term future” with investment in the playing and coaching staff to try and restore the Exiles to former glories.
But majority shareholder Mick Crossan says that deal has not yet been accepted.
“This year London Irish is 120 years old and I want to make sure that the club is secure for the next 120 years,” said Crossan.
“I am very much on board with the club for the long-term. But we have been speaking to a number of investors about joining the current shareholders to help the club develop to the next level to become a real contender in the Aviva Premiership.
“The process is in the early stages, but as you would expect with a club that has such a rich history, passionate supporter base and strong credentials, we have received a number of investment enquiries.
“However, London Irish will only entertain working with investors that offer long-term security and share the same passion for the club that the existing shareholders have.”
He added: “I am aware of the approach discussed in a recent article in The Telegraph and can confirm that we have not accepted any offers of investment to date.
“These are exciting times for London Irish as we consider our options for moving back to London, so it is no surprise that we have received a lot of positive interest in investing in the club.
“But we need to make sure that any investor who joins us has the best interests of the club at heart.”
On the pitch, the Exiles ended an 11-match losing run with a 47-17 victory over Krasny Yar in the European Challenge Cup on Saturday.
But they remain nine points adrift at the foot of the Premiership table with nine games remaining to avoid a second relegation in three years.
Brian Facer, chief executive of London Irish, said: “Our prime focus is currently on the Aviva Premiership and we are backing Nick (Kennedy) and his team to secure the club’s survival in the league over the coming months.
“We have shown that we can compete against the country’s best teams with close results against some of the top Aviva Premiership teams over the last two months.
“The spirit across the squad and the whole club is very committed and with the backing of our fantastic supporters, we know that this can translate into wins.”
