TRANMERE Rovers chairman Mark Palios has broken his silence over reports that there is interest in buying the club from a consortium led by former Donald Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina and involving US hip hop star A$AP Rocky. 

Reports emerged in the tabloids over the weekend that the rapper, who is in a relationship with pop superstar Rihanna, is said to be part of an investment group headed up by celebrity lawyer Mr Tacopina, who are in talks to takeover the League Two side for over six months with an 80 per cent stake worth £15m.

The reports said that the proposed takeover is awaiting regulatory approval from the EFL and if confirmed could mean "a Disney+ style Welcome To ­Wrexham documentary about Tranmere could be commissioned for a TV streaming giant."

Mr Tacopina is well-known in the US after defending numerous celebrity clients, including the late Michael Jackson, as well as being a regular commentator on legal matters on American television.

He also served as a personal attorney for former US president Trump, representing him in the infamous criminal case involving payments made to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.

Mr Tacopina has also held executive positions at four Italian football clubs including AS Roma and Bologna. 

A$AP Rocky, 36, whose real name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, is in a relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna and the couple have two children together.

The rapper will face a trial on November 12 after pleading not guilty to two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm in Los Angeles, which he is alleged to have pointed at a former friend and collaborator outside a Hollywood hotel in November 2021.

Palios, a former chairman of the FA and Tranmere player, took over at Prenton Park in 2014 with his wife Nicola.

Speaking to talkSPORT he confirmed that Mr Tacopina had attended Tranmere games recently. 

"I'm under an NDA (non-disclosure agreement)  in terms of [takeover talks] with a number of people but Joe has come to the games, he's not been afraid to put his presence out there," said Palios.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Palios said the 2020 purchase of Tranmere's close rivals, Wrexham by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney and the attendant publicity from the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, had made the purchase of a club like Rovers more attractive to foreign investors.

Tranmere Rovers' chairman and owner Mark Palios, and Nicola Palios in the stands during the Sky Bet League Two match at The Peninsula Stadium, Salford.Tranmere Rovers' chairman and owner Mark Palios, and Nicola Palios in the stands during the Sky Bet League Two match at The Peninsula Stadium, Salford. (Image: PA)

Palios said: "It's no secret that over the last two years we've been trying to attract investment into the club although we are not formerly for sale and that is part of the strategy we've adopted with regards the club moving on to the next stage. 

"While I'm not confirming that A$ap Rocky is part of a consortium one way or another, there are a number of people out there. We're under a NDA so I can't really talk about individual parties but it is part of the plan that we would do that.

"As soon as you bring celebrity into the club lots of things can happen and you've seen that with Wrexham.

"What's important is that there's a major opportunity in the US market at this time partly because of what happened at Wrexham but if you start to look at that as a market place for English clubs it's where 85m people watch English football. I know that's heavily biased towards the premier league but Wrexham has made people interested in lower league clubs."

When asked if there was a proposed timeline with regards a takeover, Palios joked he wanted it to happen "asap".