Championship club Bristol City have been at the centre of a potential shock takeover this week.
The Robins are currently owned by Guernsey billionaire Steve Lansdown, who also owns Bristol Bears and the Bristol Flyers.
In 2022, Lansdown openly admitted to the BBC that he was looking for new investment in the club and that he would be willing to sell if the deal was right. Speculation has been rife ever since, but this week it has begun to intensify.
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Who wants to buy Bristol City?
Ashton Gate is now a 27,000 capacity all-seater stadium, having undergone rennovations in 2016 (Image credit: Bradley Collyer)
Rumours on social media quickly gathered pace that an interested party from the Middle East was close to taking over Ashton Gate.
Saudi Arabian businessman and boxing tycoon Turki Alalshikh, who is perhaps best known for organising some of the biggest bouts in the world, was even said to have struck a deal with Lansdown after a visit to City’s training centre. Several outlets reported this during the week, only for Alalshikh to pour cold water on the story in a short post on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite this, local ITV reporter Ross Arnot has hinted that there is still other interest, “I understand that there was also a visit to the club’s High Performance Centre training ground this week by a delegation representing an interested party”, he said.
The delegation has yet to be named.
How could things change for the club?
Fans will be hopeful that a takeover would be the ticket to Premier League promotion (Image credit: Simon Galloway)
Whether an imminent takeover will happen at City is yet to be seen, and whilst there have been plenty of rumours over the last few weeks and months, nothing has materialised as of yet.
As a city, Bristol is one of the most popular places to live in the UK and is by far the largest in the country to have never had a Premier League team.
Under new manager Gerhard Struber, however, the Robins have had a brilliant start to the season and currently sit third in the Championship, losing only once in their opening six matches.
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City have carried on their form from last season, which saw them finish in the Championship Play-Offs for the first time since 2008. If a takeover were to happen, it could be the step that finally pushes them over the line and into the top flight of English football for the first time since 1979/1980.
What happens next?
Will Steve Lansdown decide to sell Bristol City?
Bristol City men’s team, the women’s team, Bristol Bears and the Bristol Flyers all sit under the ‘Bristol Sport’ umbrella.
Previously, it was thought that any deal to buy City would be difficult, with so many other clubs existing within the same structure. In recent weeks, however, the dynamic appears to have shifted.
City’s women’s team were recently sold to Mercury 13, and yesterday Bristol Sport CEO Gavin Marshall departed, further fuelling speculation that a change of ownership was imminent.
Whilst there is no official word by the club on whether there have been any offers to buy Bristol City, a takeover would need to be approved by the EFL and pass through the Owners’ & Directors’ Test.
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