Vinny Samways behind the Las Palmas purchase
Ex-Spurs and Everton player is a key figure in the negotiations for a group of North American investors looking to buy his former club for 110 million euros.
Despite dropping into the second tier of Spanish football, UD Las Palmas, as an institution, continues to be very attractive. It is for this reason that Miguel Ángel Ramírez, the president and maximum shareholder - it is estimated that he controls 70-80% of the club's capital - has recently received several offers to take over his shareholding and acquire ownership of the club.
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Samways part of investment group
Ramírez recently explained that he did not sell despite having large bids from a Chinese investment group and another formed by Russian and American investors, with amounts that ranged between 140 million euros (if the team stayed in the First Division) and 120 million euros (if it fell to the Segunda).
Diario AS has since learned that along with that US-Russian investment group are two former Las Palmas players, namely Vinny Samways (ex-Everton and Tottenham Hotspurs) and Víctor Afonso. It is also believed that the offer from them varies slightly from what Ramirez said last Friday: is 140 million in the top flight, but only 110 million if they fell out of it, which they did.
Las Palmas or other Spanish club
Both Samways and Afonso were in Miami negotiating with Ramírez himself but as yet they have not managed to convince him to sell. If this does not work itself out, the investment group is expected to look at other Spanish clubs and Ramírez has been given a timeframe to decide.
In the case that the group is successful, Samways would take on an executive management role, while Víctor Afonso would be responsible for the new management in all sports related matters.