Ligue 1 side Marseille is “the object of interest of a Saudi prince who aims to compete” with Paris St. Germain owner Qatar Sports Investments, according to Raphaël Raymond of L’EQUIPE. The newspaper reported Monday that rumors “continue to circulate in the background” that Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud -- the world’s 35th-wealthiest man -- could soon buy the Marseille club. The sale of the club is estimated to be between €100M-€150M ($124M-$187M). Back in April, members of his inner circle “had been spotted in Marseille, with one of them even divulging” that an eventual takeover of Marseille will take place. Just weeks before, French Socialist candidate Patrick Menucci, campaigning for the mayoral role in Marseille, pushed a sale of the club and stadium, to “reduce the local funding of the expensive payment guaranteed to the builder and the management of the new Vélodrome.” Speaking with L’Equipe a few weeks ago, Menucci said, “We did not have any direct contact, but very reliable sources had informed me of a potential buyer in Saudi Arabia. For me, it was the most credible path for the takeover of OM.” However, “everything depends on the will” of the club’s shareholder Margarita Louis-Dreyfus. When asked earlier this year about the possibility of selling the club, she said, “Today there is no credible candidate able to commit to the level of our competitors. And I will not give the club to someone who makes promises he cannot keep.” Alwaleed’s abundant wealth “would certainly be welcomed by Marseille fans frustrated” by the rise in power of Paris St. Germain, which has been “energized by Qatari millions” since ’11 (L’EQUIPE, 11/24). In Marseille, Florent Germain wrote Marseille "officially reacted to the news that the wealthy Saudi prince" Alwaleed would be interested in buying the club. Marseille Communications Dir Luc Laboz "strongly denied the report," calling it a “joke.” Laboz: “[Marseille President] Vincent Labrune regularly meets investors in the context of sponsorship deals. But this does not mean that these people want to buy OM” (RMC SPORT, 11/24).
