Saudi boxing magnate Turki Alalshikh is “categorically” interested in taking over Millwall, and as whispers circulate, the investor is also considering Southampton, a competitor in the Championship.
This month, it was revealed that Alalshikh, who just sold La Liga 2 team Almeira after four years of investment, is searching for a new sporting endeavour. The 43-year-old, who is the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, has gained notoriety for bringing prestigious boxing matches to the nation.
The billionaire was spotted responding to a social media post from the Lions’ club account with a flame and lion emoji, which fed speculations that Alalshikh “held takeover talks” with Millwall this month, according to the Sun.
Millwall has insisted that the club is not for sale and denied talks. Speaking on talkSPORT on Tuesday, Simon Jordan has given his insider update on the takeover talk. The former Crystal Palace owner claims to be in direct conversation with Alalshikh.
He said: “It’s not talk. They are interested because they’ve told me. I’ve told him and tried to talk him out of Millwall because I don’t think it’s a proper football club – but that’s a different discussion. It is Millwall and he likes Southampton.
“I suggested Sheffield Wednesday to him but he doesn’t want a club in the north, he wants a club in the south. Millwall and Southampton are the two clubs that are interesting to him. It’s not me breaching confidence, he’s asked me to say that.
“They like Millwall and I even got a phone call from Theo Paphitis at the weekend asking if it’s right. Whether the buy the club and like the indexing… he likes English sport. I don’t think they’ve approached Millwall but they are categorically interested.”
Saudi boxing tycoon boasts staggering net worth
Alalshikh previously worked in several government sectors in Saudi Arabia before being made an adviser to the royal court in 2015 and then a minister in 2017. He is the head of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation and previously owned Egyptian football club Pyramids from 2018 to 2019.
Speaking to ESPN last year, the businessman said he plans to use his Saudi power to fix boxing, which he viewed as ‘broken’. Speaking after announcing his first boxing event outside of Saudi Arabia, Terrence Crawford v Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles this August, Alalshikh said: “We carefully planned our activities for the last six months.
“We are investing the funds to [commercialise] our season while also testing the industry and learning all of its secrets. And now that we have a lot of data and our own research, we believe that boxing has a lot of potential based on our testing over the past six months. However, you need to make the market better. You have to resolve every issue.
According to SportsCasting, Alalshikh’s commercial ventures and service in the Saudi government have contributed to his claimed net worth of £2.14 billion.
In other news, Mo Salah comforted the former Millwall player following the Premier League manager’s public censure.
