Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has claimed that he and his group of investors will present a formal offer to purchase Inter by ‘this week or next week at the latest’.
Zilliacus announced on X on Monday morning that XXI Century Capital, the investment company which he founded, had signed agreements with investors to the value of $2.5 billion for an impending offer to buy Inter.
The billionaire philanthropist has since given an exclusive interview to La Repubblica, where he provided further details and a rough timeline for the proposed takeover.
He also indicated that he is only looking to purchase Inter and that XXI Century Capital are not interested in purchasing a network of clubs.
He told the paper: “I’m serious, this week or next week at the latest, the current owners of Inter will receive an adequate proposal from me for the purchase of the club. The body that raised the money and will present the proposal is XXI Century Capital.
Zilliacus continued: “I would like to have operational partners in place who share my vision. But, I want to be sure that they share my idea on how to manage the club, and that they see the future in the same way that I see it.”
He then provided further information on his investment firm, and revealed that he has not been in direct contact with current President Steven Zhang for a period of several months.
“It is based in Singapore and has two subsidiaries: Football and Fashion. I don’t want to invest in more clubs, I want to create a direct line with the Inter fan base, creating value and profit.
“I could do everything on my own, but it’s nicer to invest with partners. I haven’t heard from Zhang for a few months, since then I’ve been talking to the banks that he trusted.”
When asked who exactly is involved with XXI Century Capital, Zilliacus was not willing to give too many details away, telling La Repubblica that there are: “various subjects, small and large. Families and institutional investors.
Asked if he had any backing from the Middle East, Zilliacus replied: “I won’t name names and I don’t want to go into fine details. I have raised capital in various areas, that will be enough.”
I hope anyone who takes over inter never get rid of Marotta. He is the best CEO in the world and anyone changing him would make a big mistake plus Theo fans are not going to be happy!