'ASAP' - Tranmere owner piques rapper takeover talk

Tranmere Rovers joint owner Mark Palios has not-so-cryptically said he wants a deal to sell the League Two club concluded "ASAP" - amid speculation rapper A$AP Rocky is set to be part of a takeover.

The 36-year-old boyfriend of pop star Rihanna is reportedly part of an investment group, led by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina, interested in purchasing an 80% stake in the Birkenhead club.

Former Football Association chief executive Palios, who would not directly confirm the rapper was involved in the takeover during an interview with Sky Sports, became Tranmere owner in 2014 alongside his wife Nicola.

Asked if there was a timeframe in which a possible deal needed to be completed, a smiling Palios said: "ASAP."

In a subsequent interview with BBC Radio Merseyside he said: "The situation is that we have been looking for investment into the club for almost two years.

"The club has potential that is unrealised and it can be taken forward. We haven't had a for sale sign up but we've been approached."

Tacopina has previously had ownership positions at four different Italian clubs and Palios said he had been to watch the fourth tier side in action.

"Joe has been at games but so have other people that people don't recognise because they're not as well known as him," he added.

"Joe is an interesting character and he's one of a number of people who are interested in the business and as soon as we're able to say anything then we'll of course tell the fans."

On the subject of A$AP Rocky, who has 36.1m monthly listeners on music streaming site Spotify, Palios admitted he was "of an age where it's not really something I'm desperately into but I'm told he's very well regarded".

'A gap in the market for US investment'

Several North American celebrities have invested in English Football League and Premier League clubs in recent years, with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's ownership of Wrexham the most notable.

NFL legend and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady became a minority owner of Birmingham City last season and former NFL defensive end JJ Watt became a shareholder at Burnley in May 2023, while actor and producer Michael B Jordan invested in Bournemouth at the end of 2022.

American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook and actor Will Ferrell are also minority stakeholders in Leeds United.

Palios said the American marketplace is an area the club want to "latch on to".

"When I was at the FA I thought at some stage they're going to catch on to soccer, which I'd never normally say, and there are 85 million people in the US who apparently watch English football and 45 million of them don't have a club," he continued.

"What has happened with Wrexham is people have seen the value of lower league clubs. That's a marketplace we want to latch on to.

"If you look at the increased coverage that the EFL is getting in the US because of the new TV deals and also the World Cup is coming to the US and that the MLS clubs are ridiculously expensive... You can see there is a market there and we're ready to capitalise on that."

Since Palios and his wife bought a controlling interest in Tranmere from former owner Peter Johnson, the club have been relegated to the National League but bounced back to win promotion through to League One.

However, they were relegated back to League Two during the Covid-interrupted 2019-20 season and have remained there since, sitting 16th so far this season.

Palios, 71, made more than 280 appearances in two spells with Tranmere during his playing career.

Who are Joe Tacopina and A$AP Rocky?

Tacopina, a 58-year-old lawyer who formerly represented President Donald Trump, has previously been involved in football with several clubs in Italy.

In 2011, he was part of an American consortium that purchased AS Roma and three years later he took over Bologna before moving on to buy Venezia in 2015.

Most recently, he took over as president and owner of Serie C side S.P.A.L.

"He's a well-known person and he comes with a few positives in terms of he understands football because he's successfully been involved in Italy," Palios said.

"He has a lot of celebrity contacts and they're not just for show, they can massively increase the commercial aspects of the club and that's an added advantage."

A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, came to fame as a member of hip hop collective A$AP Mob and has two children with Rihanna.

Tacopina is representing Mayers in an upcoming trial in a case with charges that the rapper fired a pistol in a feud with a former childhood friend.