Saudi Royal Family In “Advanced Negotiations” To Buy Inter Milan From Suning

The Saudi royal family are in “advanced negotiations” to purchase Inter Milan from the club’s current owners Suning.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, via FCInterNews.

The future of Inter’s ownership has been a subject of great speculation for weeks and months now.

At the moment, Suning are at the helm. But they face the major crossroads of the expiration of the deadline of their loan from Oaktree Capital next month.

Suning have been working for weeks to negotiate an extension of that deadline.

But according to the Corriere della Sera, an extension would mainly be to buy the Inter owners more time for a sale.

The current owners would be very likely to sell the club sooner or later, the newspaper reports.

And there is one buyer in particular who would have a strong interest.

Saudi Royal Family In “Advanced Talks” To Buy Inter From Suning

The Corriere della Sera identify the Saudi royal family as serious potential buyers for Inter.

That is distinct from the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The PIF are the current owners of Premier League club Newcastle United, and that is their focus – they would not be likely to buy another European club.

There had been some reported interest in buying Inter from the PIF in the past. But not now.

However, the Corriere della Sera report, members of the Saudi royal family headed by Mohammed bin Salman are weighing up a bid for Inter.

The newspaper report that the talks between representatives of the Saudi royal family and Suning have been ongoing for months.

According to the Corriere della Sera, representatives of the Saudi royal family contacted the Inter owners directly.

And the talks have gone quite a long way.

The newspaper anticipate that the Saudi royal family would be ready to make an offer that is right around Suning’s valuation of €1.2 billion.

Then, the question would be of timing.

At the moment, the expiration of the Oaktree deadline is just over a month away. And that means that Suning would need to agree an extension before working out a sale to any potential buyers, Saudi or otherwise.

Alternatively, however, Oaktree could decline to agree an extension with Suning.

Then, the US-based fund could potentially complete a sale of Inter to the Saudi royal family without Suning’s involvement.