Malaysian Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim emerges as a competitor for the Chinese: 'I will buy Milan!'
Negotiations have been proceeding very slowly between President Silvio Berlusconi and the Chinese group of investors led by Robin Li, with numerous delays caused by the Italian's reluctance to give up full control.
Malaysian Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim emerges as a competitor for the Chinese: 'I will buy Milan!'
Negotiations have been proceeding very slowly between President Silvio Berlusconi and the Chinese group of investors led by Robin Li, with numerous delays caused by the Italian's reluctance to give up full control.
Now a surprise new player enters the fray, as Tunku Ismail, the Crown Prince of the Malaysian state of Johor, declared that he wishes to buy the Rossoneri for himself.
“I am planning on buying Milan, we'll see how this deal pans out,” the prince told the Singapore publication The Straits Time. “I love Milan and I always loved Italian football, ever since I was small.
“The Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club will still be my focus,” he said, in reference to the football team he already owns, “but I'd like to buy a European club and I hope that can be Milan.
“It is a very real possibility. This way we'll be able to create a bond between AC Milan and JTD, with strong cooperation between the two clubs. It's going to be a very direct situation.”
As well as owning JTD, Tunku Ismail has a passion for sports cars and horse-riding.
According to the Corriere dello Sport, his plan is to start by buying only a minority of the stocks of Milan, leaving Berlusconi in control for the moment, and gradually increasing his share. Eventually he means to become the majority share-holder and take direct control of the club.
This may allay Berlusconi's anxieties of relinquishing control, and perhaps it will be enough to convince him that he is selling into the right hands.
Image from Asia One News.