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People familiar with the situation said that Premier League side Southampton "is in exclusive talks to be taken over by Lander Sports Development Co. of China," according to Panja & Hellier of BLOOMBERG. The sources, who declined to be identified because an agreement has yet to be completed, said that Katharina Liebherr, the club’s Swiss owner, "has been engaged in the talks for several weeks." The price could be as much as $246.2M.
The talks "come amid a surge of investment" in football 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 football to date, following deals in which West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City were sold to Chinese investors. A spokesperson for Southampton said that "he was unaware of the talks." Lander "declined to comment" (
BLOOMBERG, 11/2).
