Southampton have today announced that they have officially come to an agreement with regards to selling a large portion of the club to Chinese investors.
Announced through a statement from Katharina Liebherr on the club’s official Twitter, the Saints have confirmed that their prolonged search for fresh investment has reached it’s end.
Southampton’s potential takeover has been the subject of speculation since early Spring, with the Chinese consortium Lander Sports strongly linked with investing in the club.
However judging by the statement released it seems like the Gao family – owners of Lander – are in fact those who have taken over as opposed to their consortium, purchasing a majority stake of 80 percent for just over £200 million.
This comes after it was reported that the potential owners had back-tracked on their offer to invest in the Saints, which has evidently taken a U-turn.
Katharina Liebherr has issued the following letter to supporters of #SaintsFC: https://t.co/ccQLjctnu0 pic.twitter.com/Cc7W7yQGMQ
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 14, 2017
Liebherr showed her intent to sell the club on to new investors last month when she stepped down from her role as Director with immediate effect, showing that the tides were soon to change at the club.
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Katharina, her father and her family kept the club alive eight years ago when they bought the side for just £13-15 million, however she herself has admitted that fresh investment would be needed in order for the club to continue it’s rise up the Premier League.
Saints are yet to spend £20 million on a single player with only high-teens figures spend on players since returning to the top flight – something that could change in the near future.
It’s unclear whether the Gao family will have any effect on the remaining weeks of the transfer window, with Everton enjoying their first splurging summer over a year after securing overseas investment.
It also remains uncertain as to whether this takeover/partnership will have any effect on the Virgil van Dijk situation, with the player keen to move on to join a team competing in the Champions League.