FORMER Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has lodged a formal bid for Manchester City.
There have been many twists and turns in the saga, including Claudio Ranieri's decision to join Juventus, the freezing of £1.3b of Thaksin's assets, and the recent emergence of Sven Goran-Eriksson as a managerial candidate.
Here is a timeline of the story so far:
April 23 - Former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who previously made an unsuccessful bid for Liverpool, makes his first move for Manchester City according to pro-Thaksin website - hi-thaksin.net.
April 25 - The takeover saga took a new twist with the Blues blasting back at Ray Ranson's 'indicative offer' as they unveiled one of the 'mystery' Americans. In a statement to the Stock Exchange, City confirmed that they have received two offers from Ranson, though they say neither is for £90m.
April 30 - City prepare for a fresh bid from Thaksin that would take the cost of any total takeover to more than £100m.
May 1 - Thaksin moves into pole position to buy City after he is granted access to the club’s accounts.
May 15 - Thaksin is given a whistle-stop tour of the Eastlands Stadium the day Stuart Pearce is sacked.
May 19 - City remain in talks with 'a number' of different parties over a potential buyout, although talks between Shinawatra and the Blues are at an 'advanced stage'. As yet there is no bid.
May 25 - Thaksin claims to hope to have sealed his City takeover by early June. "Everything is going smoothly," Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Pattama says.
May 30 - Thaksin's Thai consortium are pulling the strings ahead of the potential takeover by reportedly holding talks with Claudio Ranieri.
June 4 - Ranieri is appointed manager of Juventus, dashing City's hopes of landing the ex-Chelsea man.
June 7 - Thaksin's lawyer is confident of a deal being concluded with City about the proposed takeover. "So far I learn that the deal is proceeding well," Nopaddon Pattama told AFP.
June 11 - Thaksin has £830million of h is assets frozen in a move partly related to the sale of his telecommunications company Shin Corp last year. City seek an explanation.
June 12 - City step up their efforts to replace sacked boss Stuart Pearce - a clear indication that the Thai takeover is in jeopardy.
June 14 - Thaksin's lawyer insists that there are still funds available to buy City. "We have money to buy Manchester City, and the signs from the club in the latest negotiations are good," Pattama said.
June 18 - Thaksin, the would-be owner of Manchester City, has a further £123m frozen by authorities in Thailand.
June 19 - Thaksin is ordered to return to Thailand or face arrest after being charged with concealing assets. However he is still expected to make a bid for the Blues.
June 20 - Thaksin bid for Manchester City is 'imminent' - and Sven-Goran Eriksson is in the frame to be named as the club's new manager. Sources close to Shinawatra say the freezing of another £310m will not derail the bid.
June 21 - Thaksin launches and £81.6m bid. City's board have recommend to shareholders that the offer should be accepted.
Comments
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This is either the build up to the takeover or build up to eggy faces. Lets hope for former.
I'd forgotten how long this soap opera has gone on for.
Seems like forever.
It's like a living nightmare.
please please make a bid lets put this to bed get in sven and make some top class signing my mrs is getting on my back for being on here morning till night waiting for some good news that started 4 week ago !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It captures the imagination more than Big Brother (not that that is hard). As the geordie commentator would say... "day 68 in the city takeover saga, sven meets frank in the diary room" meanwhile "john dawdle makes his nominations for city manager, with souness and warnock in his sights" "Who will be the next manager of mcfc?" who knows? you decide.....
what day is it?
It is all very well for Thakskin's representatives to claim that the money is in place with Seymour Pearce for the takeover ie buy out Wardle and Makin etc but with all his assets being frozen right, left, and cetre there will be no money left to invest in the club so how are we going to be better off????????????????????
surely this must come to end one way or the other in the next few days.
Franks had more assets frozen than captain birdseye.
feels like this City soap opera has run longer than Coronation street
June 21st - takover expected in 48 hours
June 25th - Takeover imminent
July 15th - Takeover collapses
August 2nd - Chris Coleman appointed
August 3rd - Postman delivers 18,000 seasoncards back to COMS fao John Wardle.
August 11th - We offer to play West Ham (Subject to Premier League Status) in a 6 a side game due to takeover talk still continuing and no players having been signed. Quotes in the MUEN are that Sven may or may not be manager and that the takeover may or may not take place before New Year.
what is going to happen on june 29 th .
could he get sent down ?
will they unfreeze his money?
if he has taken over then gets sent down what then .
is he innocent ?
Yeah right MEN. Whatever.
What happens if Frankies takeover is successful, but due to the freezing of £1.3billion, he cannot fund the club beyond the initial takeover. Worse still, what happens if he is arrested and imprisoned for a long stretch in the Bangkok Hilton. Wardle seems to be happy to go ahead as long as he gets his money.
calum down - thank god you posted, I actually thought today was actually going to be the day for a while...
Mike ... that was priceless very funny unlike whats going on at COMS ,i think we all have decided who we think the next manager should be its just like the board we can't all agree.
Prophet of Doom, Heaton Moor. August 4th - Postman admitted to St Mary¿s with a hernia.
Oohh thankyou MEN as a City fan I really really needed that reminder.
Whats the name of that Thai resort. The one that makes you think of Man City.
To all those who have posted and said what happens if Thaksin Shinawatra only has the money to buy city out and not develop the club further and invest in new players. Its simple. If anyone can find another man or woman to pay off all the creditors and there's 60million pounds worth of them- then bring them on. At the very worse Thaksin will pay off all our creditors and leave us debt free and give us a fresh chance.
Anyone buying City is a brave man, not least this apparant crook. I know City are desperate, not least the long suffering fans, but I think this is a bad move long term for everyone associated with the club, WATCH THIS SPACE!
Seems to me that 81m is a lot less than the original offer
I beg the shareholders to resist the temptation of making a quick buck!!! We can do better. When the Glaziers took over Trafford United I laughed myself silly. If this joker buys the only premiership team in Manchester I will cry in to my cornflakes.