5th May, 2015
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has said he still wants to buy Arsenal despite failing in a 2010 bid to acquire a stake in the club.
The Nigerian billionaire is now worth nearly eight times as much as when he tried to buy into the Gunners, and the passionate Dangote has not given up on his dream of getting involved with the north London club who are currently a darling team of millions of Nigerians and the fans cut across all facets of Nigerian society.
“I still hope, one day at the right price, that I’ll buy the team,” Dangote, 58, told Bloomberg.
“I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist,” he continued, before ominously adding, “I know my strategy.”
Interestingly, Dangote has publicly stated that Arsene Wenger “needs to change his style a bit,” claiming the team “need new direction.”
Dangote – valued at over US$15billion – is worth more than both Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who have been fighting for control at the Emirates in recent years.
But his bid to take over the club won’t be coming immediately, with the cement and commodities tycoon wanting to get his portfolio of businesses in order first.
“We have $16 billion-worth of investments in the next few years,” he said. “Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe an offer will follow.”
Majority owner Kroenke recently bought more shares in Arsenal, and is not believed to have any interest in selling the club.