West Ham Confirm Take Over Talks

The West Ham official site printed this statement from the board today:

"The Board of West Ham (the "Board") notes today's press speculation concerning a possible bid for the company following the signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on 31 August 2006.

The Board confirms that it has had exploratory discussions in relation to a possible bid but these discussions are at a very early stage and there can be no certainty that an offer for West Ham will be forthcoming. The Board also confirms that there is no contractual link between the signing of the players and the bid discussions.

In accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the 'City Code'), West Ham announces that it has 20,202,352 Ordinary Shares of 25p each in issue.

A further announcement will be made as appropriate."