DRØSSEVIS AV SPEKULASJONER........selvsagt:Former chairman Gerald Krasner told BBC Five Live at least seven interested parties were keen to speak to Leeds.
Krasner, who sold the club to Bates in January 2005, said the interested parties had not come forward until now because they wanted to open talks with the administrators rather than the club.
"I find it surprising how quickly the club has been bought back because nobody else has had time to speak with them," said Krasner.
"It would be interesting to hear if they have spoken directly to other interested parties.
"My understanding is that there were seven other so-called consortiums waiting for this to happen so they could then speak to the administrator to make an offer." 1) Bates’ Leeds United Limited - Har opsjon på å kjøpe klubben fra administratoren, KPMG.
2) Gary Kelly og Radebe’s Irske konsortium; But he may yet return to real prominence at Elland Road, with Wednesday’s Irish Daily Star reporting that the Drogheda man and former Leeds teammate Lucas Radebe could form the public face of a major new investment consortium willing to plough money into the once-great club.
The newspaper claims that Kelly and Radebe, both part of the Leeds side which reached the Uefa Champions League semi-finals in 2001, have been approached by a group of Irish businessmen in a scenario which appears to mirror the Niall Quinn-led Drumaville takeover of Sunderland last summer.
3) Gary Kelly; nok et Irsk konsortium4) Simon Morris; ex-Leeds styremedlem – inkludert £65 millioners konserthall på Elland Road (13.000 sitteplasser). The 29-year-old businessman, who is worth £69 million according to The Sunday Times rich list, is understood to be on the verge of making an offer. The Yorkshire Post understands Morris, who has built a successful property empire since starting his business career selling leather jackets on a market stall a decade ago, is finalising an offer for the club.
It is believed a key element of his plans involves developing the land around Elland Road into an entertainment complex.
The 29-year-old would have to convince Leeds City Council to go ahead with the project due to the authority owning much of the land that surrounds the football stadium.
Morris's plans would involve buying back Elland Road from Teak Trading Corporation, the British Virgin Islands-based company that bought it from Manchester businessman Jacob Adler in 2005. Adler had been sold the stadium in November of the previous year by the Gerald Krasner-led board that included Morris.
The property entrepreneur was last night unavailable for comment.
Morris was the leading shareholder in the Yorkshire consortium that were in charge at Elland Road for 10 months from March, 2004.
5) Dominic Marrocco, a Las Vegas-based millionaire, said he was considering a bizarre £10 million survival package that would include installing Mike Tyson as fitness coach and producing an Elland Road reality TV show.
6) Another businessman who has been repeatedly linked with the Whites in recent weeks,
former Sheffield United chairman Mike McDonald, today said he would be prepared to invest in the club "if it was a good deal".
He said: "Leeds is a big club with a big fan base and, although it will be an uphill slog to turn it around, it can happen if it is run the right way."
However, McDonald denied reports claiming he had already lined up former Liverpool boss Graeme Souness as a replacement for manager Dennis Wise.
McDonald, who quit Bramall Lane eight years ago, confirmed he had spoken to Bates in the last three months but only to indicate his willingness to support other businessmen in a possible takeover.
"I told him if there was a consortium someone wanted me to join, I would be willing to consider it," he added. "But I didn't want to be on the board or be a chairman.
"I am looking at it purely from an investment point of view. We are known as a property development and investment company."
McDonald claims to have been approached by a consortium interested in a takeover at Elland Road, though the Belgium-based multi-millionaire has stressed to the Yorkshire Post he has no desire to play a leading role and that his company, Texas Holdings, still controls a 10 per cent stake in the Blades.
A weekend report had suggested McDonald was in discussions with Irish investors Drumaville and had already lined-up Graeme Souness to replace Dennis Wise.
7) An other consortium, led by American billionaire Paul Allen, is also said to be interested in providing the financial backing for the former defensive duo to complete their climb to the Elland Road corridors of power.
According to Forbes magazine, Allen is the fifth-richest man in the United States, having amassed his fortune as co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates.
Allen is also a huge sports fan - he is the owner of two American sports franchises, the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers - and has already signalled his interest in English football by holding preliminary talks with Southampton Football Club.
Peter Wilkinson – the super-rich internet tycoon dubbed Yorkshire's answer to Bill Gates – is also being touted by some as the Whites' potential saviour.
He has previously played down rumours of a move for Leeds, saying earlier this year: "I have never met or corresponded or had a conversation with Mr Bates.
"I have no plans to contact him now or in the foreseeable future."
9) Leeds United's Supporters Trust says it is in a position to make a proposal to buy the club, BBC Radio Leeds reports. Leeds' relegation to League One is likely to be confirmed this weekend, barring an unlikely sequence of events. The club are in major financial trouble but the supporters trust is said to be prepared to provide proof of funds. Leeds United Supporters' Trust, who put forward a takeover bid on Monday, were also angry. "We thought this (administration) would happen and that's why we put our proposal forward on Monday," said chairman Rick Duniek.
"We're just disappointed that Ken Bates has passed up the chance to give the city and people of Leeds a significant involvement in their football club."
Bates: "LUST rang up and said 'can we come and talk to you? "They claimed to have a £100m backer. We said 'show us proof of funds and we can talk'. I have not had a reply.
10) The former West Ham chairman, Terry Brown, has been plotting a secret takeover bid for Leeds United which could still succeed despite Ken Bates yesterday placing the club in administration and agreeing a deal to buy it back immediately. Just six months after selling West Ham to an Icelandic consortium fronted by Eggert Magnusson in a £108 million deal, The Daily Telegraph has learned that Brown held discussions about rescuing Leeds with Bates in Monaco last month. Despite being blamed by Magnusson for landing West Ham with a £5.5 million Premier League fine over the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano scandal, Brown is keen to make a return to football. He wants to use some of the £33.4 million profit he made from the sale of his shares in West Ham to buy a new club, even though he is a lifelong supporter of the East End side. It is understood his plan for Leeds involves installing his former managing director at Upton Park, Paul Aldridge, as the new chief executive at Elland Road. Aldridge was last week accused by a Premier League commission of failing to disclose contracts which proved that Tevez and Mascherano were not owned by West Ham but by offshore companies. He has threatened to sue the League over the ruling.
11) The son of legendary Leeds United manager Don Revie is trying to form a consortium to take control at Elland Road.
Businessman Duncan Revie, 52, has already held preliminary talks with wealthy backers, including Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family, and wants to raise £40million to buy the club from Ken Bates and get Leeds back into the Premiership. The news that the family associated with Leeds’ golden age could be part of their rebirth will seem like light at the end of the tunnel for fans distraught at their demise. ‘What is happening to Leeds is a bloody disgrace,’ said Revie. ‘I cried when I watched the result against Ipswich last weekend. ‘I’ve tried to ignore my feelings for a long time as I know the aggravation needed to put things right. But when things get this bad, I can’t ignore it. My feelings run too deep. ‘I am interested in trying to get Leeds back where they belong, which is in the top six of the Premiership. I’ve held talks with some influential people and the feedback has been good. I will be holding more talks in the next few weeks.’ But Revie, who runs the highly successful company, Soccerex, which puts on big-hitting conferences in the football industry, faces competition from a number of other parties interested in buying the club and the prospects of a quick takeover will depend on creditors approving Bates’ extraordinary deal to buy back the club minutes after putting it into administration on Friday.
12)
Ray Ranson, who is believed to be competing with former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for control of Manchester City, is just one of many to have contacted Bates, who has adopted a consistent mantra throughout.
13) SHEIKH UP AT LEEDS?
Multi-millionaire businessman Sheikh Samir Mirdad is heading up a Dubai-based consortium interested in taking over Leeds United.
Sheikh Mirdad, chairman of the Dubai-based Linx Group of Companies, plans to talk to Leeds chairman Ken Bates about his plans for the club which was put into administration before the final game of the Championship season.
He told the Daily Star Sunday: "Leeds United is a prestigious club that has, in the recent past, suffered setbacks. My vision is to bring the club back to its former glory.
"The club has a huge fanbase and because of the history and the desire of the people of Leeds to see Leeds United back in top-flight football we think this may be the ideal challenge for us.
"I am very passionate about football and I want to help a lot of other people who share this passion. My intentions should follow the vision that would be shared between me, Mr Bates and the people of Leeds. There is a lot of potential for the club."
Dette er vel Krasners 7 og vel så det, men det er nok drøssevis av andre interesserte også. Det er likevel ikke sikkert at de alle er så veldig seriøse. [
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