An Australian shopping center operator and a Qatari sovereign wealth fund "are among those expected to submit bids" worth about $5B-8B for Anschutz Entertainment Group "as early as next week," according to Sender, Edgecliffe-Johnson & Gelles of the FINANCIAL TIMES. AEG's billionaire Owner Philip Anschutz put the real estate and entertainment group up for sale in September "and is said to be asking" for about $10B. AEG's assets include the Staples Center in L.A., the O2 arenas in London and Berlin and stakes in U.S. sports groups, including the NBA L.A. Lakers. People involved in the auction said that Westfield, the Australian shopping center operator, Qatari Sports Investment "and other sovereign wealth funds were vying with or could partner with other bidders involved in the process." These include California private equity investor Guggenheim Partners and L.A. real estate investment group Colony Capital. Two people "familiar with the auction" said that Qatari Sports Investment, a fund linked to the Qatari royal family, "was expected to join forces with Colony" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 1/31).
