India’s top tycoon denies bid for Liverpool

February 9, 2010

India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani denied Tuesday a British newspaper report that he was in a race to take over Liverpool football club.

But another Indian businessman reportedly in the running for the Merseyside club appeared more circumspect.

The Times of London reported that Ambani, the world’s seventh-richest man, was one of two tycoons from the subcontinent competing to purchase a stake in Liverpool.

The paper said Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy had each tendered similar bids to pay off Liverpool’s 237 million pound (370 million dollar) debts in return for a 51 percent stake in the club.

“There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely,” Reliance spokeswoman Sudeep Purkayastha told AFP.

Ambani is worth 19.5 billion dollars from his investment in Reliance Industries, a petrochemicals giant, according to Forbes business magazine.

In 2008, Ambani created the Mumbai Indians, one of the eight teams in cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

The newspaper said Roy’s interest in Liverpool appeared “more serious”. His Sahara conglomerate said it could neither confirm nor deny that a bid was in the offing.

“We are presently not in a position to comment,” Sahara spokesman Abhijit Sarkar told AFP.

Sahara has been linked with ownership of one of the next IPL franchises, possibly to be based in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, where the group is headquartered.

Sahara was linked with shirt sponsorship of Manchester United last February, but the deal fell through.

The Times said Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow had denied knowledge of either bid, but reported that approaches began as early as November and that some preliminary talks had taken place.

Pressure has been mounting on Liverpool’s feuding owners, US businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, to cut a deal to sell the Anfield club.

The Times quoted an unnamed source as saying that Liverpool’s banker, the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, is stipulating that the pair must pay off 100 million pounds of debt and inject tens of millions of pounds into the club.

The paper identified a number of other potential bidders, including a Saudi Arabian consortium and a US-based buyer, who is prepared to pay the 100 million pounds in exchange for 40 percent of the club.

But it quoted a source close to Hicks and Gillett as saying the duo would reject any bid that left them with less than 50 percent of the club’s shares, unless it involved either of them selling out entirely.

NEW DELHI (AFP)

Tags: abhijit sarkar, bank of scotland, british newspaper report, business magazine, Christian Purslow, george gillett jr, group chairman, indian businessman, Liverpool, liverpool football club, london, Lucknow, manchester united, Merseyside, Mumbai, petrochemicals, reliance industries, richest man, Roy, royal bank of scotland, sahara group, subrata roy, times of london, tom hicks, tycoons, U.S., unnamed source

Nakamura close to signing with Espanyol: report

June 17, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan and Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura is on the verge of signing with Espanyol to realise his longtime dream of playing in the Spanish league, according to a press report.

Nakamura’s agent Roberto Tsukuda and Espanyol have “already reached a basic agreement” on the midfielder’s transfer to the Spanish club, the Sports Hochi reported citing an unnamed source involved in the talks under way in Barcelona.

The daily said that Espanyol sporting director Ramon Planes had secretly visited Japan recently and offered Nakamura a two-year deal with an annual pre-tax wage of 200 million yen (2.1 million dollars).

Tsukuda has been talking with Planes and Espanyol executive German de la Cruz four times a day since he arrived in Barcelona late Saturday, Hochi said.

The agent is expected to return to Japan shortly. His Tokyo office, Sport Consulting Japan, refused to comment on the report.

Nakamura, who turns 31 next week, had intially expressed his readiness to re-sign with his former J-League club Yokohama Marinos when his contract with the former Scottish champions expires at the end of this month.

But the talks with Yokohama have stalled with Nakamura’s side reportedly citing the club’s “insincerity” over financial matters and requests for his appearances in club events before he signed a contract.

Yokohama have offered him a two-and-a-half-year deal with an annual wage of 150 million yen, according to Japanese media.

Nakamura has spent the past seven seasons in Europe, the first three with Italy’s Reggina. The left-footed deadball specialist helped the Glasgow side clinch the Scottish Premier League title from 2006 to 2008.

Tags: 1 million dollars, celtic, celtic star, consulting japan, deadball, Espanyol, Europe, Glasgow, insincerity, Italy, j league, Japan, japanese media, LA Liga, longtime dream, premier league, Ramon Planes, Roberto Tsukuda, scottish champions, Scottish Premier League, seasons in europe, seven seasons, shunsuke nakamura, spanish club, spanish league, tokyo, tokyo office, tsukuda, unnamed source, YOKOHAMA, yokohama marinos

Balotelli refuses Inter call-up, report

January 28, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Troubled teenage Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli has refused to join up with his team-mates for Wednesday’s trip to Catania, the Gazzetto dello Sport said.

Balotelli has not played for Inter this month, being selected for the bench only once, in the 2-1 Coppa Italia victory against AS Roma a week ago.

He spent the entire evening on the sidelines and for Inter’s other matches this month he has not even made the match-day squad.

Coach Jose Mourinho seems to be sticking to his assertion earlier this month that Balotelli would be excluded from playing time until the end of the January transfer window as a punishment for poor attitude and application in training and for pushing for a loan move away from the San Siro.

However, that stance does not seem to be paying dividends with the 18-year-old Italy under-21 star, who is the son of Ghanian immigrants.

Inter revealed that he has been left out of the squad to face Catania "for disciplinary reasons" but Gazzetta went further by printing a transcript from a supposed conversation that happened between Balotelli and Mourinho.

Gazzetta claims that Mourinho originally included the striker in his list of 21 players selected for the trip to Sicily, but with only 18 lacing their boots on the day of the match, that was no guarantee that Balotelli would even be on the bench.

And instead of travelling with the squad, he went home.

In a meeting with Mourinho, Balotelli again asked to move to West Ham, whose manager Gianfranco Zola coached Balotelli at Italy under-21 level.

"Why won’t you let me go to England," Balotelli asked Mourinho, according to an unnamed source close to the player.

"I don’t think it will be any easier for you over there," replied Mourinho.

Balotelli then asked to have a meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti, who tried to persuade the youngster that he is very much a part of the club’s plans.

But Balotelli was not convinced and went AWOL and continues to fail to live up to Mourinho’s strict disciplinary code.

Even before then, his chances become increasingly limited with the Portuguese coach preferring the untouchable Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian Adriano up front.

Back in November when talk was first mooted about a possible January loan move for Balotelli, the former Chelsea boss said he would be better served remaining at the club and learning how to train.

"As far as I’m concerned a young boy like him cannot allow himself to train less than people like (Luis) Figo, (Ivan) Cordoba or (Javier) Zanetti," said Mourinho.

"I can’t accept that from someone who is still a nobody, who hasn’t made it yet, who is still a talent with potential.

"He needs to train harder, to understand what are the important things for me which I think are important for him and his future.

"Because if he was to train half as hard as players like Zanetti and the others, he would be one of the best in the world. But he only trains 25 percent as hard.

"Hence in January he will definitely stay here to learn how to train well."

However two months later things had not improved, with Mourinho saying earlier this month: "Nothing has changed, neither Balotelli’s way of training nor his attitude.

"His brother (and agent) has made it clear that Mario wants to go out on loan but I will wait until the end of the transfer window after which he will understand that he has to stay.

"Maybe then he will change his attitude and return to the first team fold."

His latest indiscretion may see that return delayed longer than the beginning of February.

Written by: AFP

Tags: 18 year old, AFP, catania, coppa italia, disciplinary reasons, England, Gazzetta, gazzetto dello sport, inter milan, Italy, ivan, Javier, Jose, jose mourinho, Luis, mario, Mario Balotelli, match day, Milan, old italy, playing time, poor attitude, president massimo moratti, quot, Roma, ROME, San, san siro, Serie A, sidelines, striker, team mates, unnamed source, west ham, youngster, zlatan ibrahimovic, Zola

Kaka´s Man City transfer deal in doubt

January 15, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – Manchester City’s reported world record bid for AC Milan’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka hung in the balance on Thursday with conflicting reports on how the transfer talks were progressing.

The club’s assistant manager Mark Bowen told the BBC that a deal was "very close", but an Arabian business website insisted that talks had broken down.

Reports on Wednesday said that the Abu Dhabi-owned City had proferred a staggering 100 million pounds (110 million euros, 150 million dollars) to acquire the services of the 26-year-old former World Player of the Year and that club officials had met with their Italian counterparts in Milan.

"We have understood there have been negotiations for a fair while now and as far as we are concerned we believe a deal is very close," Bowen, who is assistant to head coach Mark Hughes at Eastlands told the BBC.

"I’ve read a lot about his love of AC Milan – and that goes without saying – but even when people said the deal was dead, that was not our understanding.

"We are still hopeful of still signing Kaka."

That view was not shared by Arabianbusiness.com which cited a "senior source close to the club’s owners" as saying that the deal was off.

The unnamed source was quoted as saying: "The deal is off, and the offer is no longer on the table. The club is now pursuing another striker which it is very close to signing. Manchester City is about to unveil a new striker, but he is not called Kaka."

City manager Hughes, however, was quick to dismiss those reports telling a press conference: "I’ve seen these reports but you have to bear in mind that the people who are being given a platform to speak do not represent the owner (Sheikh Mansour) or (chairman) Khaldoon (Al Mubarak).

"In my opinion they should not be given a platform to say what they have because in this instance it is completely untrue because negotiations are still taking place."

"It would be naive to think I have not been involved in discussions over this transfer. I have had meetings about it and have had an input.

"It is impossible to say whether it will go through or not but we will let everyone know when there is something to say."

And reports in the Italian press suggest that the move is very much alive with Milan themselves seemingly keen to push it through.

The Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that Milan gave Manchester City permission to talk to Kaka on Tuesday with City representative and notorious Iranian-born agent Kia Joorabchian making contact with Kaka’s father and agent Bosco.

Kaka himself was quoted as saying that he was happy to stay at AC Milan if the club did not want to sell him, but he has given every indication in the past that he would love to play in the English Premiership at some stage in his career.

He is already one of the best paid players in the world and his spokesman Diogo Kotscho said it would not be money that would prove decisive.

"It’s not impossible for Ricky (Kaka) to transfer to Manchester City as long as the English club demonstrates it is preparing to become one of the best teams in the world," he said.

"Even so it will be very difficult to reach agreement with Milan, but if Manchester City present a good project and prove capable of attracting other players of the highest level to become one of the best clubs in the world, like Milan, then we can begin transfer proceedings.

"The English championship is one of the best and Kaka would like to play in it. But I don’t know if it will be the right way forward."

Written by: AFP