Talks between a Uruguayan businessman trying to buy League One side Oxford United and the club's owner have "broken down without a deal being reached," according to the BBC. Juan Sartori made an offer for the club earlier this year and has also been speaking to stadium Owner Firoz Kassam. Sartori said that he got "quite close" to a deal with club Owner Darryl Eales. But he said that it was a "personal decision" by Eales not to sell. Sartori added that he thought he could have built "a great project" around the club. Sartori: "[It was] 100 percent a decision from Darryl, to continue a little bit more. He thinks he can still give the club a lot of things, to go for the promotion" (BBC, 6/7). In Oxford, Mark Edwards reported Sartori "believed he could take Oxford United to the Premier League." Sartori, the son-in-law of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, admitted he was "extremely disappointed with the outcome, but respected the decision" of Eales. Sartori revealed he "had big plans for the club," and was confident he would be able to lead it to "at least one promotion." Sartori said, "It was a very ambitious project but we needed to buy the club to put it into action. It involved real estate and the stadium. We had a project on the football side that involved strengthening the academy and having a higher playing budget" (OXFORD MAIL, 6/8).
