The files show Crystal Palace investor Josh Harris remained in contact with Epstein via email and phone calls for many years after his conviction, including joining him for a breakfast meeting in 2013 after which he sent an email saying “thank you for inviting me”.

Harris – whose private equity firm Apollo Global Management also owns NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers, NHL team New Jersey Devils, and the NFL team Washington Commanders – also contacted Epstein in 2016, saying he was “happy to catch up” at some point in the future.

A spokesperson for Harris said: “Josh Harris never had an independent relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Harris sought to prevent Epstein’s attempts to develop a corporate relationship with Apollo. As these emails indicate, Harris sought to avoid meeting with Epstein, cancelling meetings and having others return his calls.”

Emails sent to Epstein also appear to show he conducted two meetings with Todd Boehly – now co-owner and chairman of Chelsea – in 2011, three years after Epstein’s conviction.

The emails suggest Epstein wanted to be introduced to Boehly, who at the time was co-owner of baseball team the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a managing partner at global asset management firm Guggenheim Partners.

Neither Boehly nor Chelsea have made a public comment.

Celtic major shareholder Dermot Desmond was mentioned twice in emails sent to Epstein in 2010 on behalf of golf resort developer Gerald G Barton.

In the messages, Epstein was told by somebody writing on behalf of Barton that Irish billionaire Desmond – a golf resort owner – was willing to provide millions of dollars to help co-fund golf developments.

“As is patently clear from the two emails referenced in the documents released by the US Department of Justice, Mr Desmond had no contact of any kind with Mr Epstein,” his representatives told BBC Sport

“Any mention of Mr Desmond is entirely incidental and without his involvement or knowledge. He never met Mr Epstein, nor did he have an association of any kind with him. The dealings referred to in the emails were exclusively with Mr Gerald G. Barton of Landmark Land Company, Inc. in relation to a routine business transaction. Mr Epstein had no involvement whatsoever in the transaction referred to, which in any event did not proceed.”