I'm told West Ham valued at '£500m' as Amanda Staveley opens takeover talks - Keith Wyness
West Ham United have been receiving "very positive" noises from Daniel Kretinsky's camp in recent days.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Czech businessman has taken a "big risk" by buying a bigger stake in the club now that they are in the Championship.
The Royal Mail tycoon recently agreed a deal to increase his stake in the Hammers to 43 per cent, making him the largest shareholder at the moment.
Wyness believes that Kretinsky would be the perfect man to take over the East London outfit fully, but former Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley is also waiting in the wings.
She and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi have already held talks about a potential takeover of the capital club, as the David Sullivan saga continues to unfold.
Wyness made it clear that the Hammers are still an extremely valuable club despite their drop into the second tier, and it will take a huge offer for a deal to be done.
West Ham could be sold for £500m
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that it could take up to £500million for anyone to buy West Ham this summer.
He made it clear that he expects the club to try to cut all ties with the previous regime as quickly as possible, whether that be through a takeover from Kretinsky or another party.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he emphasised that buying West Ham would be a "gamble well made" if they immediately return to the Premier League.
"It hasn't come out as to exactly what the deal is with Vanessa Gold. First of all, I'm surprised that Gold has sided with Kretinsky, I mean, her father had a 40-year relationship with David Sullivan," Wyness said.
"It is in the best interests of West Ham to cut the ties with that regime and to move forward. And all the noises coming out of the Kretinsky camp at the moment are very positive.
"I think right now they're going to be valuing West Ham at something like £500m internally from the numbers I've been hearing. Kretinsky will have got a cheap deal because he's taken a big risk in the Championship. He's doing it based on the fact that he believes promotion is going to be possible.
"If they get back up to the Premier League, then of course that will look like an investment and a gamble well made. So we have to see what the numbers are when they come out, but I'm guessing they're going to be valuing the club at somewhere close to £500m, which is a huge premium for a Championship club."
Daniel Kretinsky ready to put 'football people' in charge
Wyness previously told Football Insider that Kretinsky would be a popular owner among West Ham fans due to his prior experience in football.
He also owns Czech giants Sparta Prague, and is familiar with what it takes to enjoy sustained success both at domestic and European level.
Wyness referred to the 50-year-old as a "shrewd investor" and outlined that he would put "football people" in charge to ensure things were managed correctly.
West Ham fans have shown constant frustration over the control that Sullivan has had at all levels of the club, and Wyness is clear that Kretinsky would put a stop to all of that if he took charge.