One Day I Will Buy Arsenal Football Club – Dangote

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has again expressed interest in buying English Premier League team, Arsenal despite being rebuffed by its owners in 2010.

Dangote, who is an an Arsenal fan worth $15.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, discussed buying a stake in the club five years ago before talks with the owners fell through.

Dangote told Bloomber: “I still hope, one day at the right price, that I’ll buy the team.  I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist. I know my strategy.”

Despite his interest Dangote says that he will concentrate on expanding his own business before launching a new offer for Arsenal as he has invested a lot of money in numerous businesses.

“We have $16bn-worth [£10.5bn] of investments in the next few years. Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe [an offer will follow],” he continued.

Dangote criticised Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, claiming that the 65-year-old “needs to change his style a bit” and warning that the club “need new direction”.

Dangote has interests in sugar and flour and controls Dangote Cement Plc, Nigeria’s biggest publicly traded company. He is investing $11 billion in a 650,000 barrel-a-day oil refinery near Lagos and as much as $2.5 billion in gas pipelines running to the city from Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger River delta region.

Arsenal meanwhile, is one of England’s most successful clubs and is valued at 988 million pounds ($1.49 billion). The club are set to play the FA cup Final on May 30 which if they win will make it their third title in two years.

The club won the FA cup last season after 8 years without a trophy then lifted the FA Community Shield at the beginning of the season. The club will play Aston Villa on May 30.