George Soros to buy Roma?

[AFII]

American billionaire George Soros hopes to complete his takeover of Roma this week.

Gazzetta dello Sport says the political heavyweight is anxious about closing the deal quickly in the face of competition from fellow American John Fisher, whose family are founders of the GAP clothing company.

Immediately after Roma’s Champions League tie in England against Manchester United, Soros’ representatives, Rothschild Bank, will meet with the Sensi family’s legal team.

If he receives encouragement, Soros will immediately open takeover negotiations.

http://soccerglobe.net/2008/04/07/am...roma-takeover/

[Parm]

hmm, it doesnt surprise me that people are looking at Italy for the next place to buy up clubs, wonder how much he would be looking to spend on buying Roma. Interestingly no price/quotes mentioned.

[AFII]

I hope that Hicks are still interested.

[Nicey]

They dont come much bigger than George Soros .. wonder what kind of retuns they are expecting .. although if what Hicks has managed to do without spending a dime of his own money in less than a year ... seems like a ****ing brilliant investment these football clubs

[yukpo]

Hey nicey, what can you tell us about this fella then?

[Nicey]

I believe he is Global Hedge fund heavy weight, he is worth personally in excess of 16 Billion dolllars ... and I can only imagine the kind of numbers his firm manages ... put it this way he could topple most countries at the stroke of a pen ... This man not only has serious coin but also very serious power to boot.

He is pushing on a bit though ... all of the above is off the top of my head I accept no responsibly if the details are as about as accurate as a ehhh thing that is not very accurate

[Montana]

He's the chap that played a big part behind 'Black Wednesday' in 1992 that crippled the Bank of England. He made over $1 Billion on that day alone. The UK treasury lost over £3 Billion that day.

[AFII]

AS Roma says it's in preliminary talks for possible sale
Posted: Friday Apr 18, 2008 1:59 PM

ROME (AP) -AS Roma is in preliminary talks over the potential sale of the Serie A club.

Representatives of Compagnia Italpetroli SpA, which holds a 67 percent stake in the club, met Thursday with "a potentially interested party,'' Roma said in a statement Friday.

No specific offer was made and no agreement was reached on starting due diligence, the statement said. Roma officials would not comment beyond the statement and declined to identify the interested party.

Italian media have reported that American billionaire George Soros is behind the possible takeover. The Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera dailies said Friday that Soros could offer some ?250 million (US$394 million) for Italpetroli's stake.

A spokesman at Soros Fund Management LLC did not immediately return phone and e-mail requests for comment.

Gazzetta said the Hungarian-born financier and philanthropist would not comment on the potential deal when asked about it Thursday on the sidelines of the presentation in Brussels of his new book.

Roma is second in the Serie A standings, four points behind Inter Milan. The club's shares, quoted on the Milan stock exchange, closed up 13.52 percent at ?1.028 (US$1.62) Friday on reports of the possible sale.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...253/index.html

[AFII]

Just as Roma seemed set for a takeover by American magnate George Soros, the club announces “another group can guarantee double his offer.”

The Sensi family seem ready to sell up their stake in the Scudetto contenders and confirmed negotiations were held with a potential buyer this week.

The rumours of Soros’ interest have been circulating for many months, but this is the first time there has been some official word on the matter.

Representatives of Inner Circle Sports – Steven Horowitz and Philip Hall – were said to be confident the deal would be completed quickly.

However, a stunning development shook both Soros and Roma supporters, as talk of a new bid from an Arab conglomerate emerged.

“The offer no longer satisfies us. We need more time to consider it, as there is another group that can guarantee double,” revealed Sensi family lawyer Gian Roberto De Giovanni.

A bidding war could well break out for AS Roma, although there is the risk the Sensi administration could be left in the lurch.

It is rumoured Soros did not take kindly to the snub and is considering shelving his interest altogether.

http://www.channel4.com/sport/footba...ia/apr19g.html

[AFII]

ROME (Reuters) - The majority shareholder of Italian football club AS Roma on Monday denied press reports it had begun procedures to sell its controlling stake or had received an offer to buy the club.

Newspapers have reported that Italpetroli SpA, linked to the Sensi family, was considering selling its controlling stake in AS Roma to U.S. billionaire investor George Soros or to the royal family of the United Arab Emirates.

"No offer has been formalised from (the foreign investor) or from others whom the press has suggested as potential buyers," Italpetroli said in a statement.

The statement spelled out it had received "no offer from the Arab Emirates royal family," and that all press reports in this regard were "groundless."

Italpetroli said on Friday it had held talks with a representative of a potential investor, but a sale was not imminent.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldF...80421?rpc=401&

[Imy]

Surprised he's going to Italy, TV revenue is not as high as the Premiership, merchandise revenue, ticket revenue is fairly low in comparison to some English and Spanish teams.

[Nicey]

They all want to turn their Dollars into stuff as quickly a possibly ... buying a football club is a good way to do that