FRANCE
Saudi Arabia look to break PSG Ligue 1 stranglehold with possible purchase
Former French player Jerome Rothen maintains that the Saudi Kingdom is considering the purchase of top flight side AS Monaco.
AS Monaco has recently been put up for sale by its Russian owners who still own 65% of the football club with the remaining 35% shares belonging to the local Royal Family in the Principality. A Saudi Arabian prince who has already shown interest in a potential acquisition of Olympique Marseille a few months ago has now changed his focus moving on ‘Les Rouges et Blanc’.
“The club has been up for sale for a few weeks and there is noise emerging from reliable sources on behalf of the Saudi Prince’s family and the club. At present there have been meetings between both sides with Prince Albert also involved in the discussions” Jerome Rothen said on RMC (French radio network).
“Monaco is a special club in so far that 35% belongs to the Monaco Royal family so they will have plenty to say in any possible sale. But if the Saudi bid materialises, they would be prepared to invest a considerable amount and the next bridge to cross is for all vested parties to reach an agreement. There are conversations ongoing and in my opinion if they want to invest, it won’t take three years,” says the former French player.
On the interest in Olympique de Marseille, Rothen claimed that there was interest in OM, but there has been no follow-up. “That doesn’t mean that a bid won’t come in the future, but at the moment they are more interested in AS Monaco than in OM. But there are still many details to be resolved and the investment bank (in charge of the sale of AS Monaco) has three offers on the table, but the ball is in the court of the Russian owners at present.”