The American billionaire E. Stanley Kroenke and Mr. Usmanov spent years fighting for supremacy at Arsenal, buying up shares whenever they became available, and the deal clears the way for Mr. Kroenke to take the club private, an action that Mr. Usmanov had long blocked by refusing to sell his shares.
Mr. Kroenke, whose family also owns several American sports franchises, including the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Nuggets, gained the upper hand in July 2011, leaving Mr. Usmanov to do little more than complain from the sidelines or seethe privately in the luxury skybox he maintains at Arsenal’s stadium.
Mr. Usmanov accepted an offer of 550 million pounds in cash for his 30 percent stake in Arsenal, or about $712 million,
giving Mr. Kroenke more than the 90 percent stake or $2.3 billion,
required to purchase the remaining shares in the club, said Mr. Kroenke’s investment company, KSE.