THERE is growing speculation that billionaire Daniel Ek is on the brink of increasing his bid to buy Arsenal in the coming days.

The Spotify co-founder launched his opening bid of £1.8bn for the club last month in the wake of the Gunners’ failed attempt to join a breakaway European Super League.

The offer was quickly turned down by the Kroenke family, with Ek later revealing that the Arsenal owners told him they “don’t need the money”.

But in a week where the six English clubs who signed up to the doomed Super League were hit by a combined £20m fine by the Premier League, Ek is back to renew his interest in the Gunners.

Accepting that any takeover success “could be a long journey”, the lifelong Arsenal fan is set to offer north of £2bn to get negotiations started.

The Kroenkes’ stance, however, seems destined to remain unchanged. Stan and his son Josh, via their company Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), have been clear the club is not for sale.

They released a statement at the end of April saying they remain “100 per cent committed to Arsenal and are not selling any stake in the club”.

It added: “Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this.”

One thing that is clear is that the club could do with a cash injection, with Arsenal having to sell players to raise funds for a squad overhaul.

Both Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin are reportedly edging closer to an Emirates exit, with the Gunners hoping to fetch in the region of £20m for each player.

Jose Mourinho is a big fan of Xhaka and wants him at Roma, while former Gunners boss Unai Emery is said to be keen to reunite with Bellerin at Europa League winners Villarreal.

Arsenal would use the funds to make a summer move for Wolves’ Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves, who is valued at around £40m.

Jose Fonte, who will play alongside Neves at Euro 2020 for Portugal, says he is “not surprised” to see his teammate linked with a big-money move.

Reflecting on any potential deal for the 24-year-old, Fonte said: “Ruben is a great, young player. We cannot forget he is still a young player.

“He’s done very well since he came to England. I can’t say I’m surprised [about the links to Arsenal] because of the quality he has, and his passing range is second to none.

“He can score goals from outside the box. He’s very clever.

“I’m not surprised there is interest in him.”