Football legend Graeme Souness today said: “I have offered to buy the Wolves for £20 million.”

See also: Fans react to Souness ‘bid’

He found himself in a war of words with the club’s chief executive Jez Moxey, who had earlier denied all knowledge of a bid.

Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star today, Souness said: “I don’t know why Jez Moxey is saying these things.

“I have had several telephone conversations with Sir Jack Hayward and I have spoken as well with Jez Moxey. And last week I made an offer, subject to an examination of the club’s books and accounts, of £20m which is the figure Sir Jack had publicly declared he was looking for.”

Souness’s revelations today brought chaos and confusion to a proposed takeover, which Wolves have apparently turned down.

See Tuesday’s Express & Star for the full story, in-depth coverage and reactions from our experts.

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Football legend Graeme Souness today said: “I have offered to buy the Wolves for £20 million.”

See also: Fans react to Souness ‘bid’

He found himself in a war of words with the club’s chief executive Jez Moxey, who had denied all knowledge of a bid just hours earlier.

Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star today, Souness said: “I don’t know why Jez Moxey is saying these things.

“I have had several telephone conversations with Sir Jack Hayward and I have spoken as well with Jez Moxey. And last week I made an offer, subject to an examination of the club’s books and accounts, of £20m which is the figure Sir Jack had publicly declared he was looking for.”

Souness’s revelations today brought chaos and confusion to a proposed takeover, which Wolves have apparently turned down.

He said: “I was told ‘No’ by Jez Moxey but the offer still stands. It is Sir Jack’s football club and if he chooses not to sell it at this time, that’s his prerogative.

“He can do what he wants. I have a partner and I see the club having vast potential and I will put more money into it if I got the opportunity.

“This is not a Johnny Foreigner coming along to make a quick buck. But Jez has told me no, the offer wasn’t acceptable. That’s the end of the matter, but it is there on the table.”

The former Scottish international says he is heading a consortium which he says has the funds to help push Mick McCarthy’s team into the Premiership.

But Wolves this morning denied receiving the £20m bid, saying there was no truth in the reports.

Souness attended the Barnsley game at Molineux on New Year’s Day as a guest of the club. But Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey today insisted it was purely a social meeting after he bumped into Souness on a flight back from Florida.

The club posted a terse statement on its internet site, and Mr Moxey said: “This club is loathe to conduct its business through the media but we must point out this story is simply not true.

“There are no negotiations with Graeme or anyone connected to Graeme.

“We will only say something on this subject when there is something substantive to report.”

The Souness link follows previous reports that Wolves were in talks with Milan Mandaric, the former Portsmouth owner, which were also strongly denied by the club.

But rumours about a takeover have been rife since Sir Jack first announced his intention to hand over the club a little more than three years ago.

He said at that time he would be willing to effectively give the club away, preferably to locally-based owners, providing they could pledge substantial funds for its future development. But since then, the terms have shifted with Sir Jack igniting another wave of takeover stories when he revealed he would accept £20m for his controlling interest.

Moxey said today: “We are interested in new investment in the club or a possible change of owner. Anyone who can meet this criteria we would talk to, but there are no negotiations with Graeme Souness – it is a real red herring.”

Tell us what you think. Would a Souness-led takeover be a good thing for Wolves?
E-mail us with your name and address by clicking here.