Saudi boxing boss wants to buy football team but has very strict rule
Saudi Arabian chief Turki Alalshikh, who is known for his work in boxing, is eyeing up an English football club but has set out his demands which has ruled out several clubs
Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh is reportedly interested in buying one of two English clubs - but has ruled out going after a club in the north of the country.
Saudi already have a foothold in England having bought Newcastle several year's ago via the PIF, which has allowed the Magpies to become a Champions League outfit. Now Alalshikh is looking to get involved amid reports he's held talks with Millwall.
The Lions have denied that discussions were had, but former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan claims he's had talks with Alalshikh and the Championship club are indeed on his radar.
Jordan has attempted to talk him out of a move for the south London outfit with Southampton, who were just relegated from the Premier League, also on his radar. The Saudi chief's remit is he wants a club in England's top two tiers, but they have to be southern-based.
Jordan told talkSPORT: "No 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.
"But it is Millwall, and he likes Southampton. I suggested Sheffield Wednesday to him. He doesn't want Sheffield Wednesday. He doesn't want a club in the north. He wants a club in the south. And Millwall and Southampton are the two clubs that he thinks are interesting to him."
Jordan also admitted that he put the idea of buying Sheffield Wednesday to him given the unrest with the club's current ownership, but their northern location is an issue. The 43-year-old has become a prominent figure in the boxing world in recent years, brokering some of the biggest fights in the sport as the country's riches help get certain contests over the line.
His role as chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority means he has varied business interests and he recently sold Spanish side Almeria with his attention now on landing a club in England.
The Saints narrowly avoided becoming the worst Premier League team ever during their dire season. They do now have a new manager at the helm in Will Still. Millwall meanwhile have never graced the Premier League but were pushing for the play-offs at times this term.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd encounter hold-up in Matheus Cunha's unveiling after £62.5m transfer
Manchester United announced the signing of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha on Sunday in a £62.5million transfer deal, but he wasn't unveiled in their usual fashion Manchester United fans will have to wait another fortnight to get their first look at new signing Matheus Cunha in a red shirt. The Red Devils announced on Sunday that they'd agreed to sign Cunha from Wolves, paying his £62.5million release clause to make the Brazilian their first addition of the summer transfer window. Cunha, 26, has signed a five-year contract which keeps him at Old Trafford until June 2030. There's also an option to extend his stay by a further 12 months. Supporters noticed, however, that United's announcement was relatively low-key. The Red Devils didn't post any images of Cunha, nor were there any quotes available from boss Ruben Amorim or another figure at Old Trafford. Instead, a brief statement was posted on the club's website confirming that Cunha's hot-anticipated arrival was 'subject to visa and registration'. " Manchester United has reached agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the signing of Matheus Cunha," it read. "The Brazilian forward's signing is subject to visa and registration. The 26 year-old has 13 senior caps for Brazil, and, in his club career, has made 270 appearances and scored 72 goals in the English, Spanish, German and Swiss top flights. "During two-and-a-half seasons at Wolves, Cunha has scored 33 goals in 92 appearances. Everyone at Manchester United looks forward to welcoming Matheus to Old Trafford." It's understood that United will complete the signing of Cunha and unveil him after the international break which starts this week. The forward has been called up to play for Brazil, as the five-time World Cup winners face Ecuador and Paraguay over the next fortnight under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. Cunha also hasn't commented on his move publicly. The ex-Atletico Madrid star stayed at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester on Saturday with his family before jetting off to Brazil, where he'll hope to build on a his good final season with Wolves, scoring 17 goals and providing six assists in 36 games. Wolves, who helped avoid relegation thanks to Cunha's form, confirmed that his departure will earn them a club-record fee. The Premier League side added in their statement: "Everyone at Wolves would like to thank Matheus for his contributions in old gold and wish he and his family the best of luck for the future."
Daily Record
32 minutes ago
- Daily Record
How Rangers takeover impacts Celtic as Monday Jury predict Dermot Desmond reaction
Rangers are under new ownership - but should that worry Celtic? KEITH JACKSON: It's certainly something they'll be keeping an eye on. But the champions are in a strong position with bags of cash in the bank, an elite manager and a squad which has become a trophy winning machine. Dermot Desmond will plan on keeping it that way. ANDY NEWPORT: Worried? No. But they should be taking note. Rangers have been a shambles on and off the pitch for a generation. Now there is scope for major improvements but Celtic are a long way ahead. If the Hoops continue moving forward the job of catching them will only be harder for the new Ibrox regime. MICHAEL GANNON: It shouldn't worry Celtic. It should be welcomed. The lack of a proper challenge has led to things going a tad stale on the home front. This should sharpen the senses in the long term. CRAIG SWAN: Celtic have to worry about themselves and not what anyone else is doing. If they strengthen again, they are still the team to beat. Davide Ancelotti or Russell Martin, who will excite the Ibrox faithful most as boss? KEITH: Ancelotti is the clear fans' favourite even though the Italian hasn't got a single game under his managerial belt. There's a bit of stardust about his background and family name while Martin is still recovering from a disastrous season in the Premier League at Southampton. ANDY: Ancelotti likely but let's be honest, hiring the Italian is as much a risk as taking on guy who has just been punted from one of the Premier League's worst ever teams. The Ibrox faithful have every right to question why the new owners have not pursued more experienced operators with better track records. MICHAEL: Rangers fans will lean towards Ancelotti because of his background but Martin might be the better fit to cope with the demands of the domestic game, which is where Gers need to get their act together. CRAIG: Hard to speak on behalf of the Rangers fanbase. It's an individual thing. You'd guess Ancelotti due to his dad, but best ask the punters. Rangers are preparing for an overhaul this summer but do you expect much change to the Celtic squad? KEITH: Brendan Rodgers was already looking to raise the bar again this summer before the Americans came to town. A new striker, at least one winger, a midfielder and centre half will be on his wish list. The changes across the city might mean he's given more money to recruit them than he had originally anticipated. ANDY: They certainly need reinforcements, even if it's just to stave off a staleness creeping into Rodgers' group. A new centre-forward is the priority but they also need additions out wide, in midfield and in the centre of defence. A successor for Kasper Schmeichel wouldn't go amiss either. MICHAEL: It could be a big summer. Celtic need three or four in minimum but there's a feeling one or two big hitters might go and that will mean a bigger rebuilding job. CRAIG: Celtic will freshen up, no doubt. Brendan Rodgers has key areas to address and that work will have started long ago, regardless of what is happening at Ibrox. Kieran Tierney being a case in point. Ross County are standing by Don Cowie despite being relegated to the Championship - do you expect to see the Staggies bouncing back at the first attempt? KEITH: Good on them for sticking with Cowie. They'll have their work cut out trying to get straight back up next season but will probably have the biggest budget in the second tier. That should put them in pole position for promotion. ANDY: Roy MacGregor isn't shy to open the purse strings when cash is required and I expect to see the County chairman backing Cowie with the funds required to build a promotion-winning team. MICHAEL: County will be favourites to win promotion as Cowie will get backed in the transfer market. It's a tough league to escape though and the likes of Dunfermline, Ayr, Raith Rovers and Patrick Thistle will be pushing.
South Wales Guardian
40 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Monday's briefing: Matheus Cunha and Caoimhin Kelleher set for transfers
The Brazilian forward will be Ruben Amorim's first summer signing after a disappointing campaign saw the Red Devils finish 15th in the Premier League and lose to Tottenham in the Europa League final. Brentford have agreed a deal to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, the PA news agency understands. Our first signing of the summer has been agreed 🇧🇷✍️#MUFC — Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 1, 2025 Brazil forward Cunha has been in Manchester over the weekend to put the finishing touches to his move to Old Trafford, which is subject to a visa and registration. The 26-year-old, who has won 13 senior caps for Brazil, scored 18 goals in all competitions last season. A United statement read: 'Manchester United has reached agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the signing of Matheus Cunha. 'The Brazilian forward's signing is subject to visa and registration. Everyone at Manchester United looks forward to welcoming Matheus to Old Trafford.' A lot of fun at the F1 in Barcelona today! Great to see the pinnacle of another sport up close. Huge respect for all the drivers and their teams. 🏁 🏎️ — Harry Kane (@HKane) June 1, 2025 England took time out of their preparations for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra by enjoying a day at the Spanish Grand Prix. Captain Harry Kane and his men watched on as Oscar Piastri pipped Lando Norris in Barcelona. Meanwhile, despite not being named in the squad, Manchester City defender John Stones has also linked up with Thomas Tuchel's group to continue his rehabilitation following a spell on the sidelines and was pictured alongside Kane at the circuit. There were 52,115 in attendance at Wembley as Oldham scored twice in two minutes in extra time to beat Southend 3-2 in the National League play-off final and secure promotion to League Two. Manny Monthe's early own goal was cancelled out by Joe Garner's penalty before Southend went ahead through Leon Chambers-Parillon's 91st-minute goal. But James Norwood and Kian Harratt struck to help Oldham follow Barnet into the English Football League. With Mark Flekken set to move to Bayer Leverkusen, Brentford have turned to Kelleher. A reported initial fee of £12.5m for the second-choice Liverpool goalkeeper can rise to £18m if performance-related requirements are met. Republic of Ireland international Kelleher, who has a year left on his contract at Anfield, played over a quarter of the champions' Premier League matches this season when first-choice Alisson Becker was injured. Gameday in our Nation's Capital! 📌 ⚽: #AUSvARG⏰: 7:30pm AEST🏟: @giostadium 📺💻📱: @ParamountPlusAU #Matildas #VisitCanberra @visitcanberra — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 1, 2025 Australia's Matildas host Argentina in an international friendly in Canberra, with South Korea and Colombia also facing off.
