中國地產(chǎn)大亨敲定收購英超南安普頓隊

Southampton has become the latest European football club to come under Chinese ownership, after real estate magnate Jisheng Gao sidestepped a mainland crackdown on overseas dealmaking to clinch a deal valuing the English Premier League at around £200m.

南安普頓(Southampton)成為最新一家被中資收購的歐洲足球俱樂部。地產(chǎn)大亨高繼勝繞開了中國對海外并購的打壓措施，敲定了收購這家英超聯(lián)賽(English Premier League)球隊的交易。該交易對這支球隊的估值大約為2億英鎊。

Katharina Liebherr, the club’s Swiss owner, confirmed that a deal with Mr Gao, who controls Chinese real estate group Lander Holdings, and his daughter Nelly, had been completed and welcomed the new “partners” to the club.

該俱樂部的瑞士所有者卡塔琳娜•利勃海爾(Katharina Liebherr)證實，與地產(chǎn)集團萊茵達控股(Lander Holdings)實控人高繼勝和他女兒高靖娜(Nelly Gao)之間的交易已完成，并對該俱樂部的新“合作伙伴”表示了歡迎。

Southampton declined to provide financial details of the transaction, but a person close to the deal said the Gao family had acquired an 80 per cent stake in a transaction that valued the south coast club at around £200m.

南安普頓俱樂部拒絕披露交易的財務(wù)細(xì)節(jié)，但一名知情人士表示，高繼勝家族收購了該俱樂部80%的股權(quán)，對這家英格蘭南部海岸俱樂部的估值約為2億英鎊。

The deal had been held up for weeks as Chinese authorities toughened their regulation of foreign investments, due to concerns over growing capital flight and excessive borrowing being used to finance overseas dealmaking.

該交易曾被擱置數(shù)周，因為中國當(dāng)局收緊了對海外投資的監(jiān)管，擔(dān)心資本外逃加劇，以及過度舉債為海外并購融資的行為。

In January, Southampton had announced it had agreed terms with Mr Gao’s Hangzhou City-based Lander Sports investment vehicle. But two people close to the negotiations said that in the last several weeks the structure of the deal had been changed so that it would be funded by the Gao family’s fortune based in Hong Kong.

今年1月，南安普頓俱樂部宣布，其接受了高繼勝旗下設(shè)在杭州的投資工具萊茵達體育(Lander Sports)的條件。但兩名知情人士表示，在過去幾周里，交易結(jié)構(gòu)已被改變，以便用高繼勝家族在香港擁有的財富來出資。

The Premier League approved the transaction weeks ago, though the deal was among those that has led the organisation to tighten up its ownership rules due to concern around the background of groups and individuals who have been attempting takeovers.

幾周前，英超聯(lián)賽批準(zhǔn)了該交易，盡管這筆交易是導(dǎo)致該組織收緊球隊所有權(quán)規(guī)則的幾筆交易之一，原因是對近來企圖收購的集團和個人的背景感到擔(dān)憂。

A senior football executive said that rival Premier League clubs have expressed concern about Mr Gao and his past involvement in corruption investigations in China.

一位資深的足球俱樂部高管表示，英超聯(lián)賽其他俱樂部對高繼勝本人以及他過去卷入中國反腐調(diào)查一事表達了擔(dān)憂。

Ms Liebherr was the only female owner of a Premier League club. She inherited the ailing club from her billionaire industrialist father Markus, who acquired it for a reported £14m in 2009, rescuing it from administration but dying a year later.

利勃海爾是所有英超聯(lián)賽俱樂部中唯一的女性所有者。她從父親、億萬富豪實業(yè)家馬庫斯(Markus)手中繼承了這家陷入困境的俱樂部的所有權(quán)。2009年，馬庫斯以據(jù)稱1400萬英鎊的價格收購了該俱樂部，把它從破產(chǎn)邊緣救活，但自己在一年后去世。

Mr Gao could not immediately be reached for comment.

記者一時聯(lián)系不上高繼勝請其置評。