Following the recent spate of Asian investment in English football, “?the Saints hierarchy are in talks to sell the club to a Chinese company, according to “?“?Bloomberg.
Katharina Liebherr has reportedly been in contact with the Lander Sports Development Company with regards to a potential £200m sale.
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Markus Libeherr, father of Katharina, rescued the Saints from potential financial ruin when he bought the club in July 2009 after previous owners Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC had gone into administration. The Premier League club made a profit of £12m last financial year.
The English footballing market has become increasingly interesting for Chinese companies after President Xi Jinping stated he wants to turn China into a major footballing force.
All four major Midlands clubs (West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Wolves and Birmingham City) have recently been the subject of Chinese takeovers, while Hull City are also in talks with Hong Kong-based GreaterChina Professional Services Ltd.
Lander was primarily involved in property investments until last year, but more recently has diversified their portfolio to include sports.
Some of their ventures include a sports insurance collaboration with Du-Bang Property & Casualty Insurance and winter sports in China, which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Lander’s recent interest in the South coast club could be related to the profits from the club’s academy, which has produced world stars such as Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana in recent years and continues to be a great source of revenue for the club.
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