Saints a £200m target for Chinese company Lander according to Bloomberg
Southampton, the Premier League football club based on the south coast of England, is in exclusive talks to be taken over by Lander Sports Development Co. of China, according to people familiar with the situation.
Katharina Liebherr, the club’s Swiss owner, has been engaged in the talks for several weeks, said the people, who declined to be identified because an agreement has yet to be completed. The price could be as much as 200 million pounds ($246.2 million), they said.
The talks come amid a surge of investment in soccer by Chinese companies, spurred by President Xi Jinping’s stated desire to turn the nation into a force in the sport. A consortium led by Hong Kong-based GreaterChina Professional Services Ltd. on Wednesday outlined its plans for another Premier League club, Hull City, if it succeeds with a takeover bid.
A Southampton takeover would be the most significant Chinese acquisition in English soccer to date, following deals in which West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City were sold to Chinese investors.
A spokesman for Southampton said he was unaware of the talks. Lander declined to comment.
Yes, well, I’ll let the original post stand, without editing it, for posterity and to prove to my soon to be divorced wife that I can admit to being wrong on occasion!
Can’t see Katharina selling without due diligence - don’t think she’d send us up the creek with spivs, she seems a bit more ethical than givemethemoneynowandiwillwalkawaylaughing.
I seem quite ethical, but if my local Chinese offered enough dollar I would sell them my dog no questions asked. I prob wouldn’t eat there for a couple of weeks tho.
Should we not lauch a Sotonian’s counter bid? I’m willing to chip in a few quid.
Agreed! I’m in! Should be easy! If portsmouth can find 2,000 people willing to stump up, then we can too, surely? Admittedly, they only had to find £1000 each to raise the £2m they needed, whereas we’re gonna need to find, erm… hold on… £100k each…
