Arabic version: غيم ستوب تقترح استحواذًا بقيمة 56 مليار دولار على إيباي

GameStop has announced a $56bn (£41bn) unsolicited takeover offer for eBay, according to BBC News. The video game retail chain’s CEO, Ryan Cohen, expressed confidence in eBay’s potential to compete more effectively with Amazon, suggesting that the platform could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Cohen revealed that GameStop has built a stake of around 5% in eBay and is proposing a cash and stock deal that values eBay at $125 per share. This figure represents a 20% premium over eBay’s closing stock price from Friday.

To finance the acquisition, GameStop has secured a commitment letter from TD Bank for around $20bn in debt. Cohen, who co-founded the online pet-products retailer Chewy, stated that he is well-qualified to lead eBay’s operations.

Following the news of the takeover proposal, eBay shares surged by more than 13% in after-hours trading. GameStop, which operates more than 2,000 stores worldwide, has faced challenges as gaming trends shift towards digital downloads. Cohen, who became the GameStop boss in 2023, has been critical of GameStop’s slow transition to e-commerce.