Shinawatra poised to make bid?

Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's exiled former prime minister,
is close to making a formal bid for Manchester City, the UK football club, and
is understood to have identified a new manager for the Premier League
side.
An announcement from both parties is expected “within days” according
to people close to the deal.
Bangkok’s media has been speculating as to
whether Mr Thaksin, who was de­posed in a military coup last year, would be
able to release funds held in local banks. But it is understood that Mr Thaksin
is funding the bid from private assets and has lodged monies for the bid with
his financial advisers, to the satisfaction of Manchester’s board.

No real surprise as it has been widely expected he would be the one to takeover, but it is the first 'confirmation' as regards a bid.

The article on ft.com also digs a little on how he will finance the bid and also his part in the sacking of Stuart Pearce.

Ranson launches bid

From BBC Sport:

Former Manchester City full-back Ray Ranson has made a £90m
offer to buy the club, reports BBC Radio Manchester.
Ranson, who has
previously tried to buy Aston Villa, made the offer on Monday.
The offer
covers the club's shares, loans of about £24m to major shareholders John Wardle
and David Makin and debts to other creditors.
Ranson, who also played for
Birmingham, Newcastle and Reading, is also said to be prepared to provide a
transfer kitty of around £20m for new players.
Reports in Thailand on Monday
claimed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who failed in a bid for
Liverpool in 2004, was interested in buying City with partners from China and
the Middle East.
But it appears Ranson has made a firm offer for the club,
who have been the subject of takeover rumours.

What with the stories surfacing yesterday of the potential bid from the former Thai PM, it seems that the takeover is definitely back on the agenda.

I always felt that once Premiership survival was secured, then any potential takeover bid would likely be firmed up and so it seems to be the case. On the face of it (from reports at least) it appears that the Ranson bid would seem acceptable to all involved, given that it clears all the debts and loans to Wardle and Makin, whilst still allowing a sizeable amount as a transfer kitty.

Reports suggest City will react over the next 48 hours so stay tuned on this one.

Be careful what you buy

Perhaps the former Thai PM needs to check exactly what he will getting for his money if this story is anything to go by.

City to Thai up takeover ?

After all the recent speculation and stories regarding the proposed takeover the club, a new investor has been linked the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The main reports appear to be emanating from newspapers in the East with a figure of 92.2GBP million mentioned. Not sure what they are basing the figures on ! I can only guess that this is for a full takeover of the club.


Sky Sports News :
The plot thickens