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FourFourTwo
Sport
Steven Chicken

A$AP Rocky 'committed' to Tranmere Rovers takeover bid alongside Donald Trump's former lawyer

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" premiere at Dolby Theatre on October 26, 2022 in Hollywood, California.

Tranmere Rovers are the subject of a £15m majority takeover bid from a US-based group led by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina - with A$AP Rocky said to be among the investors.

The rapper (or 'Rihanna's boyfriend', as the Sun on Sunday has it, which we suppose is at least somewhat egalitarian of them) is said to be in on the bid alongside his lawyer, who formerly also represented Donald Trump.

The pair have got to know each other well of late, given that Tacopina is currently defending A$AP Rocky on two allegations of assault after being accused of shooting at another rapper, A$AP Relli, who suffered minor injuries. The former has pleaded not guilty.

A Wrexham-style documentary could be on the table for Tranmere

Tranmere Rovers (Image credit: Mike Egerton)

The Sun add that a Welcome to Wrexham-style documentary could be on the table thanks to the celebrity involvement in the bid.

They claim an unidentified source told them: "Rocky is tight with Joe and has committed to the Tranmere bid. Joe has been to Tranmere matches and Rocky has plans to go over too after the deal is completed. We may even see Rihanna watching League Two football.'

Mark and Nicola Palios have been Tranmere owners for the past decade (Image credit: Martin Rickett)

If the takeover came to pass, it would be be far from Tacopina's first foray into football ownership. He was formerly part of the investment group that took over Roma in 2011 but then divested to instead take over at Bologna in 2014, where he became president.

The criminal defense attorney then purchased Venezia in 2015, taking them out of bankruptcy and leading them from the fourth tier to the second, before then taking over SPAL in 2021.

SPAL were relegated from Serie B to Serie C last season, and have been docked three points this season for what they describe as a 'banking problem' related to a tax payment. Tacopina has himself been given a three-month ban.

Tranmere have been in League Two since 2020 and currently sit 16th in the table - exactly the same as their final position last season.

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Rovers have been owned by former FA chief executive Mark Palios and his wife Nicola since 2014. The club slipped into the National League a year later but returned after a three-year spell and immediately secured a second straight promotion back to League One in 2019. Tranmere lasted just a season back in the third tier, however.

Anyway, if Tranmere get A$AP Rocky and Everton get Sylvester Stallone, it's only right that Liverpool also find a Rocky of their own to complete the trifecta.

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