Stan Kroenke, the American billionaire who is the majority shareholder in English soccer club Arsenal, is set for a major cash windfall from the sale of the St Louis Rams.

Kroenke, who also owns the Colorado Rapids, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, owns 40 per cent of the Rams, valued as the world's 58th most valuable property in a SportsPro special report earlier this year. Kroenke invested US$200 million for his 40 per cent stake, and would expect a sizeable profit if the franchise owners do, as expected, agree to sell the club.

Whether Kroenke would use that cash to help fund a full takeover of Arsenal remains to be seen. Kroenke and fellow shareholder Alisher Usmanov have spent tens of millions adding to their stakes in the club in 2009, with Kroenke recently making a number of small investments whenever shares become available.

However, while the American's steady approach to the 29.9 per cent mark that would oblige him to make an offer for the remaining shares in the team worries some, Arsenal chief executive Gazidis believes it is not a tactic he would take if he wanted to complete a buy-out.

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"I don't know that it [a takeover] is inevitable. I think, again, the club has been very public about its desire to operate a self-sustaining business model, and I think all of our owners, those on the board and those outside the board, have subscribed to that philosophy. Certainly anyone that's been buying shares understands that this is a self-sustaining business model that they're buying into," Gazidis was quoted as saying by The Leader, the news service provided by the Leaders in Football conference.

"Whether or not that turns into a takeover bid only those shareholders can ultimately speak too, but I think the fact that nobody has taken their shareholding over 30 per cent, and that 30 per cent number doesn't seem to be a threshold that is imminently going to be crossed, indicates that we don't see a move for a takeover at least at this point."