Alisher Usmanov Not Looking to Sell Arsenal Stake to Stan Kroenke

Arsenal's second-largest stakeholder, Alisher Usmanov, has revealed he is not looking to sell any of his shares in the club to Stan Kroenke at this time.

Amy Lawrence of the Guardian reported that Kroenke, who owns 67 per cent of the Gunners, had made a £525 million bid for Usmanov's 30.4 per cent holding in the club.

In response to those reports, the 64-year-old has insisted he is not seeking to negotiate with Kroenke though admitted he may sell his shares to the right bidder further down the line, per Dan Roan of BBC:

As Lawrence noted, the poor working relationship and stalemate between Arsenal's two biggest investors isn't an ideal situation for the Gunners.

The Arseblog Twitter account noted just how undesirable the current scenario is for the Premier League side:

It's suggested in the report a 97 per cent share for Kroenke would increase the likelihood of the Gunners becoming a privately owned business and put pressure on minority stakeholders to give up what are often longstanding shares in the club.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

"Usmanov has never been able to secure a seat on the board or influence any decisions and both men know this will continue with the current awkwardly cut pieces of the Arsenal cake," she noted.

Indeed, as BBC Sport reported, Usmanov, who has made his money as a metal tycoon, is said to have made a £1 billion offer to take full control of the club in April this year.

But it appears neither man is prepared to budge at this point. Arsenal's legendary striker Ian Wright suggested he's glad to see Usmanov hold firm in the face of Kroenke's offer:

Last season, banners protesting Kroenke's involvement could be seen regularly among Arsenal supporters. Per journalist James McNicholas, on the last day of the previous Premier League season, plenty made their stance clear on the American businessman:

In the past, Usmanov has been critical of his fellow shareholder, saying he should "bear huge responsibility" for the team's underachievement on the field as of late. The Gunners have not won the Premier League title since 2004.

Usmanov recently passed a decade of involvement at Arsenal, having invested in the club for the first time in 2007. It appears he and Kroenke, who also first bought the shares in 2007, are set to be deadlocked for a little longer yet.