Hollywood star Hugh Jackman in talks to buy stake in English club his mother supported

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FT Desk

Hugh Jackman has confirmed that he is having discussions about potentially buying a stake in Norwich City.

The Hollywood star's connection to the club comes from his family. Although he grew up in Australia, his mother, Grace, was born and raised in Norwich. Jackman previously explained that, as a child, he wanted an English football team to support and chose Norwich because of his mother's connection to the city.

His support for the Canaries has continued over the years and he spoke about potentially getting involved with the club in a similar way to his friend Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham.

The extent of his potential investment has not been revealed but when asked by talkSPORT about it he replied:

"I'm very, very interested -- and talking about it right now. Good on Ryan, you do your thing, I'm all about the Canaries."

He then tipped both Norwich and Wrexham to get promoted from the Championship to the Premier League this season.

“I think it’s an exciting team, and it’s going to be an exciting year,” Jackman added.

“I went to Carrow Road a couple of times, and I love the Canaries, and this is the year we’re going to get promoted. That’s my prediction.

“My prediction is Norwich and Wrexham are getting promoted this year.”

The X-Men star, currently promoting The Death of Robin Hood, was previously given the opportunity to invest in Norwich but decided against it.

Speaking in 2011, the actor revealed that he had received an offer in 2010 to become a celebrity investor and take a small ownership stake in the club. However, despite being a Norwich supporter, he felt his connection to the Canaries was not strong enough to justify the investment.

Reflecting on the decision, Jackman admitted: "Sometimes I make big mistakes. I got a letter about a year ago saying, being such a huge Norwich City fan would I like to be a celebrity investor? Like a small part-owner.

"I said, 'I think that's a little stretched, I've been to Carrow Road once, my mum took me,' so I decided not to invest. And since then they're on a run, so what do I know?"

The club has actually made a disappointing start to the new campaign with just one win from their opening four matches in the Championship. They were last in the Premier League in the 2021/22 campaign.

American billionaire Mark Attanasio is currently the majority shareholder in Norwich.