The owner of a Chinese firm behind a bid to take over Premier League club Southampton said on Friday that the deal was "being held up" and that he was not "sure if the current owner still wanted to sell, casting doubts over the long-running negotiations," according to Pei & Jourdan of REUTERS. Chinese stadium builder Lander has been in protracted talks to buy Southampton from Owner Katharina Liebherr "
since the start of the year," but the deal has "hit some road bumps, including Lander's listed unit
pulling out of the deal in April." Lander Founder Gao Jisheng said, "It is not clear at the moment. The seller is having second thoughts about selling the club." He declined to comment further on the deal. An external PR spokesperson for Lander later said that "Gao had not made the comments as reported." Southampton was "rescued from the brink of bankruptcy" by German-born Swiss businessman Markus Liebherr in '09, and his daughter Katharina inherited the club after his death in '10, becoming non-exec chair in '14. The EPL gave Gao clearance to take an 80% stake in Southampton's holding company, Lander Sports Development Co. Ltd., in June (
REUTERS, 7/21).
