The ‘City Football Group,’ owners of English Premier League side Manchester City, have expressed an interest in adding a Thai club to their growing worldwide portfolio, per this report from Siamsport.
Headed up by Sheikh Mansour of the United Arab Emirates, the City Football Group has been looking to purchase clubs across the world, and are looking to expand their influence into emerging markets.
The group already have full ownership of New York City FC (USA), Melbourne City FC (Australia) and Club Atletico Torque (Uruguay), and are partial owners of Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan), Sichuan Jiuniu (China) and Girona (Spain).
Reports suggest that Manchester City are open to pursuing either model – either a partnership or complete takeover – of a Thai club. Additionally, Siamsport claims that the group has already sent a delegate who has been in discussions to find the right club to invest in.
Their intention in taking over a Thai club could well be to leverage the nation’s passion for Premier League football against its dormant interest in domestic football, potentially by finally producing a Thai footballer to play for a top European club. Additionally, the prospect of sending young Thai talents abroad to other members of their network contains a vast commercial value.
This move follows previous reports that the City Football Group have been looking to expand into India this year, as they continue to see potential in investing in Asian football.