Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic prepares surprise takeover bid for Turkish club Karsiyaka
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic could be set to takeover Turkish outfit Karsiyaka according to reports in Turkey.
A company owned by Abramovic is reported to be preparing a takeover of the Izmir based outfit according to the Fanatik sports newspaper.
However, John Mann who represents Abramovic has revealed to Turkish-Football that the story is false: “This is entirely false… the article is 100% inaccurate.”
Karsiyaka have fallen on hard times and are currently in a financial crisis.
The club have been restructuring towards a more corporate organisational setup and it is no secret that they are looking for financing.
Despite being in the Ptt 2. Lig, Karsiyaka are one of the oldest, most well established clubs in Turkey with a large fanbase.
Karsiyaka’s rivals Goztepe were in a similar state of affairs until billionaire oil tycoon Mehmet Sepil took over the club.
The Izmir derby between Karşıyaka and Göztepe attracted a ridiculous 80,000 people for a Turkish Division Two match on May 16 1981.
Club president Mutlu Altug meanwhile stated: “We will reveal who we have been in talks with after our board meeting on 15 November. We are negotiating with a powerful finance firm.”
The club are currently in debt to the tune of 54 million Turkish Lira.