Blackburn Rovers Set for £25m Takeover

Mumbai-based Indian businessman Saurin Shah, the owner of Qubic Sports and Entertainment group, has confirmed that he is keen on buying Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. He has made a £25 million offer for the Lancashire club and hopes to complete a deal by the end of July.

“We’re serious. We’re in negotiations. We’ve acquired the right of due diligence. We have the right of first refusal. There are many Indian and Pakistani people in Lancashire, so the interest is natural,” said Saurin.

The right of due diligence and first refusal means that Shah’s lawyers will be going through the papers of the club in the next 45 days and allows Shah to say no if the papers are not in order.

Saurin Shah's uncle Niranja is deputy chairman of the Indian Premier League but is hardly known outside his home city of Mumbai.

He is believed to have approached brokers in London about buying a Premier League club back in April and quickly settled upon Blackburn Rovers after learning that the town has a large Asian population.

India is regarded by many Premier League clubs as an area of huge potential growth, and if successful the takeover could potentially catapult Blackburn back into the big time.

Sources close to the Shah say that they have targeted Rovers because it is easy to negotiate with the trust that owns Blackburn rather than an individual owner. Rovers have been run by a trust since the death of owner Jack Walker in 2000.

Since Walker's death the club has been run by money from the Trustees of the Jack Walker 1987 Settlement, but since the money has dried up, chairman John Williams has begun the search for new investment.

Asked about the potential sale of the club, Williams said there was interest. "The situation is fluid, there is real interest, and discussions continue," he said.