Berlusconi's Sale Of AC Milan To Chinese Investors Deferred Again

The sale of AC Milan to a Chinese conglomerate, scheduled for June 15, "has been deferred by another one or two weeks," according to FOOTBALL ITALIA. It has been "one of the most drawn-out negotiations in Italy's football history," and in spite of President Silvio Berlusconi's return to health, "it still seems far from over." The resolution of the club's sale to a group of Chinese businesses, the identity of which has not yet been disclosed, "was originally scheduled to be settled on June 15." However, the Gazzetta dello Sport is "running the line that the transaction has been delayed yet again, and that it will be closed either next week or the one after." The deferral has been agreed "consensually by both parties, which suggests it has nothing to do with the recent offer by Bee Taechaubol." Bee's proposal is to take 48% of Milan's shares "while leaving the presidency to Berlusconi, but it seems the deal with the Chinese is too advanced for it to be changed now" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 7/11).