Gordon Ramsay is said to be in talks to buy Rick Stein’s restaurant.
The 73-year-old celebrity chef was forced to close his Porthleven restaurant in Cornwall last month due to the impact of the pandemic, and now Gordon is keen to expand his restaurant empire by taking over the harbourside diner.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "Gordon is very interested in taking it over, as he feels it has so much potential.
"It already has a certain gravitas due to Rick’s association but Gordon believes he can take it up a notch. It’s not a done deal but there’s a good chance he’ll seal the agreement."
Rick announced the closure of his restaurant earlier this month on its website and social media pages, but thanked his customers who have dined with him and hopes his other restaurants in Padstow, Barnes, Sandbanks and Falmouth won’t suffer the same fate.
He said: "We would like to thank all our customers who have supported us there over the years.
"We hope you will find your way to our other restaurants, where perhaps we can share fond memories of nights overlooking the romantic harbour in Porthleven."
This comes after it was claimed Gordon is in talks to reboot ‘Hell’s Kitchen UK’.
The no-nonsense chef fronted the cookery reality show 16 years ago, in which he taught 10 stars how to cook at speed.
A source close to Gordon said: "He’s always wanted to bring ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ back to British TV and he wouldn’t want anyone else to be fronting its revival.
"Despite only hosting one series in the UK, it’s one of the shows with which he is most closely associated, mainly because his notorious temper produced some of its best moments."