While Mr Bates would not reveal who the buyer of the six-bedroom property is, the Hackney rumour mill is wild with speculation that Drake could be moving into the area.
It would not be the Canadian rapper’s first foray into the east London borough. The Hotline Bling singer stunned grime fans back in 2016 when he made a surprise appearance on stage with Section Boyz at Village Underground in Shoreditch.
He also hit the red carpet at the Hackney Picturehouse in 2019 for the premiere of Netflix series Top Boy, on which he was an executive producer.
The lavishly decorated mansion went on the market with an asking price more than 10 times the local average, according to Rightmove, after a renovation that almost doubled its size and added a cinema, swimming pool, steam room, sauna, games area, bar and gym.
The period property also has off-street parking and a garage, which would come in handy for the rapper’s car collection, said to include a Rolls Royce, McLaren and a Bentley.
