Arsenal could be subject to a takeover this summer, with Nigerian business magnate Aliko Dangote’s project on course to finish in early 2021.
Arsenal Takeover Talks on the Horizon After Dangote Opens Oil Refinery
Richest Man in Africa Believes That the Opening of His Lagos Refinery Will Give Him the Required Funds to Complete Arsenal Purchase
According to Football London, Dangote stated in January 2020: “It is a team that yes I would like to buy some day, but what I keep saying is we have $20billion worth of projects and that’s what I really want to concentrate on. I’m trying to finish building the company and then after we finish, maybe some time in 2021 we can.
“I’m not buying Arsenal right now, I’m buying Arsenal when I finish all these projects, because I’m trying to take the company to the next level.”
With an estimated net worth of $11.8 billion, Dangote is the 206th richest man in the world, per the Forbes Rich List.
Consequently, the Nigerian businessman possesses more than enough personal wealth to pique the interest of Arsenal’s current owners, the Kroenke family.
Said to be worth $10 billion himself, Stan Kroenke’s tenure as Arsenal owner has been much maligned since he became the club’s majority shareholder in 2011.
Arsenal fans have argued that Kroenke’s interests lie elsewhere, thanks to his prominent involvement in American sports, where he owns NFL franchise the Los Angeles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids of the MLS.
Now that Dangote’s Lagos project is set for completion in early 2021 per The Africa Report, the Nigerian could commence negotiations with Kroenke should he wish to sell his majority stake in the club.
However, that eventuality looks unlikely given his increased involvement in operations at Arsenal, where he funded part of the deal to activate Thomas Partey’s release clause as well as the restructuring of club debts last summer.
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