May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Finnish businessman Tomas Zilliacus has said that it will be easier for him to conduct his own takeover talks when the Oak Foundation takes control of Inter Milan and wants the fans to take control of the club.
Zilliacus has been rumored to be interested in acquiring Inter Milan several times before, but has been unsuccessful. With Inter president Zhang Kangyang unable to repay his loans on time, the Oak Fund is about to take control of the club. Zilliacus said in response:
"First let me clarify that some fans have asked me why I am just talking and why I have not taken action to buy Inter. Now that the Suning era is coming to an end, I can reveal that I understand the fans' frustration."
Zilliacus revealed that he made two offers to buy Inter last year, one in July and the other in November. At that time the club's owners could have negotiated with him, but unfortunately that didn't happen. He explained:
"I have great respect for Zhang Kangyang, who comes from China but has done a great job with Inter in Italy. My feeling is that Zhang Kangyang wants to sell the club and both my offers are backed by one of the three biggest banks in the world, I can't disclose which one exactly. Buying a soccer club is not like going to buy a bottle of milk, the bottle already has a price tag on it, you just have to pay for it."
Zilliacus spoke about his interest in FC Inter:
"I lived in Italy when I was in my late teens. In my opinion, all clubs should belong to the fans, without them there is no club. I also have the opportunity to involve many big investors in the takeover of Inter. I'm working on a model of controlling a club that can include the fans, and Inter must belong to their fans, just like Bayern and Barcelona. Three of the clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals this season, Real Madrid, Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, belong to the fans and I don't think it's a coincidence."
Zilliacus expresses concern over Oak Foundation taking control of Inter:
"It is sad news for Inter that the Oak Foundation will be the new owners of the club, as this change of ownership has not brought continuity to the club and has not provided the right
pending
Planning and not keeping the club to a high standard. I remain interested in Inter and it may be easier to negotiate now that the Oak Foundation is very actively seeking to sell the club. The acquisition of Inter FC is valued at around €1 billion."
Zilliacus said he will make a proposal to the Oak Foundation with a view to transforming Inter FC into a popular holding model, similar to that of Barcelona or Bayern. He hopes that through this model, Inter FC will truly belong to the fans and maintain high standards and continuity in the future. Fans will be watching this development closely and looking forward to the future direction of Inter under new ownership.
