Philip Anschutz is the 34th richest man in the USA with a personal wealth of more than £4.4 billion

AEG owner Philip Anschutz, the 34th richest man in the USA with a personal wealth of more than £4.4 billion, has been in talks with Spurs’ Bahamas-based owner Joe Lewis for weeks.

The pair are close to concluding a deal and Anschutz wants to keep current chairman Daniel Levy in place at White Hart Lane as his man on the ground at the north London club.

The agreement would inject new funds into Tottenham’s coffers and make it harder still for bitter rivals Arsenal to compete for the Champions League places, with Chelsea and the Manchester clubs blocking their path.

Spurs formed close links with the AEG group last year as they put together a bid to buy the Olympic Stadium as a new home.

But now Anschutz, a close friend of Lewis, is interested in buying the club itself.