Hong Kong billionaire denies Inter Milan bid
Sep 22, 2007
HONG KONG (AFP) — Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shiLg denied a report from an Italian sports website that said he would make an offer to buy Inter Milan, a spokeswoman for the tycoon said Sunday.
"We deny (the report). Normally we don't comment on market speculation, but this is a bit too far-fetched," a spokeswoman for Hutchison Whampoa, a ports-to-telecoms conglomerate headed by Li, told AFP.
Details from the report carried by Francorossi.com were splashed across many of Hong Kong's Sunday newspapers.
The website said Inter president and owner Massimo Moratti would receive an offer of about 350 million euros (493 million US dollars) from Asia's richest man in the next few days.
The report also said the 78-year-old planned to install a new management team and make at least 150 million euros available for the purchase of new players, with Ronaldinho named as a primary target.
Li, whose fortune is estimated at 23 billion US dollars in Forbes 2007 billionaires list, has business interests in Italy, including 3 Italia, a third-generation mobile phone operation.
The denial came after Hong Kong tycoon Carson Yeung bought a 29.9 percent stake in the Premier League club Birmingham City for 15 million euros in July. Thailand's ousted prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra also bought Manchester City this year.
