Steph was out in Beverly Hills Friday with his wife, Ayesha, when he told us he's getting closer to buying his beloved football team, and says ... "This is a real thing, so hopefully it happens sooner than later."

Curry says he's been in contact with Diddy and they're formulating a strategy to make a legit play for ownership of the NFL team ... but there's a lot of work to do still.

There's more -- since Ayesha's an accomplished chef with her own restaurant, we asked what she would cook for their good friends, the Obamas ... and wait 'til you hear the answer.