A$AP Rocky set to buy English football team, Tranmere Rovers
The trend of celebrities buying football teams is still alive and well. After Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham AFC, Will Ferrell purchased shares in Leeds United; now, it appears that rapper A$AP Rocky will purchase Tranmere Rovers.
Rocky is reportedly part of an investment group run by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina. The group is currently in talks with the League Two team and FA chief Mark Palios to purchase 80% per centof the club. The takeover bid will cost around £15million.
As the takeover mimics what happened with Reynolds and McElhenney, there are rumours that there could be some similarities to how the club is looked after, according to The Sun. Specifically, there could be another Disney+ series in the works that will document the takeover. This would follow a similar pattern to Welcome To Wrexham, which has proven itself to be a popular series for the streaming giant.
It’s very possible that fans of the League Two team will soon see A$AP Rocky and his partner, Rihanna, at matches. However, it remains unknown exactly how much of Tranmere Rovers that Rocky will own.
The takeover has likely come about following Tacopina working with Rocky in Los Angeles lately, defending him on two charges that state the rapper allegedly shot his childhood friend A$AP Relli. The trial is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in the near future. Rocky has pleaded not guilty to both charges of assault with a semi-automatic weapon.
The method of buying football teams in the UK to increase their interest in the US is working. When celebrities step in and buy a team, more people in the US start to follow that team, increasing interest and increasing the value of the club, which means owners could sell the team for a profit later down the line.
The transformation of Wrexham is an excellent example of how buying an undervalued football team can work if they’re given the right attention. Tranmere is a small club located near Liverpool, and there is nothing to suggest that, given the right care and treatment, they can’t go on a similar trajectory to Wrexham.
It is a good time for Rocky to start looking at investments. He now has children with Rihanna and recently spoke about why they both decided to settle down and start a family. “I knew from when we were younger,” he said. We both did, I think. So it was only right when we got older. We just kind of reconnected […] It was only right.”