Foot Mercato report this evening that Saint-Étienne’s search for a takeover project has sees a number of potential projects still in the race, with the deadline for written offers on Monday.
Former Les Verts player Mathieu Bodmer and former Marseille president Jean-Michel Roussier, backed by an investment fund from abroad, are in a particularly favourable position. The ex-midfielder is notably setting out how the team can be reinforced – ahead of this season’s relegation battle – notably looking at Bayern Munich’s Tanguy Kouassi and former French international Eliaquim Mangala.
Meanwhile, Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak remains in the race. The much-publicised bid – which L’Équipe had reported last month was on the verge of being withdrawn – will reportedly see Ravichak travel to Paris in the coming hours to meet with KPMG, the audit cabinet entrusted with selecting candidates.
Having initially had doubts over the whether the bid was financially sound, KPMG have been assured of the capacity of his Chinese backers in investing in the club. The cabinet have also asked him to remain out of the media after initially giving an interview to RFI to unveil his bid.
Ravichak is said to be concerned with the club’s form on the pitch – in the relegation zone and having only just won their first game of the season – and will look to invest in the immediate future. Once relegation is avoided, the prince will then attempt to take ASSE to the next level, with Alexis Sánchez’s name notably brought up with Inter owners Suning, who are close to Ravichak.