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FA confirms offer made to buy Wembley Stadium
The Football Association has confirmed it has received an offer for Wembley Stadium.
The bid has come from Shahid Khan, the billionaire owner of Fulham and NFL franchise the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The offer is claimed to total as much as £800million, although the FA has not disclosed any details.
A short tweet sent through its official spokesperson account on Friday read: "We can confirm that The FA has received an offer to buy Wembley Stadium."
FA statement: "We can confirm that The FA has received an offer to buy Wembley Stadium."
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) April 26, 2018
Mark Waller, the NFL executive vice-president of events and international, has since confirmed Khan is behind the bid and says it is a "powerful sign" of a commitment to growing the sport in the UK.
"We are very happy for Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars," he said in a statement. "The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport.
"Having stadium options in London has always been critical to the NFL and, in tandem with our 10-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, this new relationship would allow for even greater flexibility in scheduling future NFL games in London."
Reports in England say Khan's offer is a £500m cash bid, which will allow the FA to keep its Club Wembley hospitality business and debenture, valued at £300m.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn is said to have been in discussions with Khan for some months, although the full proposal was only put to the board of English football's governing body on Thursday.
It is thought the sale could not only see more NFL matches played at Wembley, but also open the door to a permanent franchise based in London.
The FA has owned the stadium since its construction was completed in 2007.
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