Simon Jordan drops Bristol City takeover update involving Turki Alalshikh | OneFootball

The ex-Crystal Palace owner has revealed that the Saudi figure had an interest in acquiring the Robins

Former Crystal Palace chairman and current talkSPORT co-host, Simon Jordan, has claimed that Saudi Arabian boxing promoter, Turki Alalshikh, did hold an interest in taking control of Bristol City amid his well-publicised denial on social media.

Alalkshikh has been the subject of mass discourse when it comes to potential football ownership, particularly in England, in recent weeks and months, with the Robins at the heartbeat of such speculation alongside a handful of current divisional rivals within the Championship.

The West Country outfit have begun the reign of new head coach, Gerhard Struber, in relatively strong fashion on the pitch, as they currently find themselves third in the second tier after the opening six encounters, although the Austrian will be keen to see a response following a first defeat of the season last time out, losing 3-1 to Oxford United at Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon.

Prior to the defeat, complimenting such extreme positivity in BS3 through on-pitch matters was the prospect of Alalshikh pumping some of his billions into the club, who have earned a tag of being one of the country's biggest 'sleeping giants' in recent decades, having rarely failed to end a hiatus from the elite of English football which has recently stretched to 45 years.

Those prospects took a major hit on Wednesday evening when the well-known Saudi figure attempted to quash any speculation that had entered the public ether about a potential takeover at City, although Jordan has since revealed that Alalshikh did entertain the prospect at various points.

Simon Jordan issues Turki Alalshikh revelation amid Bristol City takeover denial

Amid speculation that Alalshikh was potentially looking to acquire a club in the south of the country - with Millwall and Southampton mooted as potential destinations - talk surrounding his interest in the Reds began back in June.

It was recently reported by Alan Nixon that the chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority was preparing a formal bid to take over from current City chairman, Steve Lansdown - who has been open to a sale since August 2022 - before claiming that Alalshikh and his entourage had even visited club facilities prior to a pending takeover.

However, the Middle-Eastern native soon put a stop to such reports, stating via X: "It is not true that I will buy Bristol City FC"

However, speaking via the talkSPORT website, Jordan, who has previously stated that Alalshikh should look to take over Sheffield Wednesday from the controversial Dejphon Chansiri, revealed that Alalshikh's predicament is likely to be true, although he is aware that the tycoon did express an interest in acquiring the Robins to begin with.

"I think it's probably not true that he's going to buy Bristol City Football Club now," Jordan said.

"But it may well be true that he had an interest in looking at Bristol City Football Club.

"Well, I know that because I talked to him about it, with respect," he added.

Bristol City will hope Turki Alalshikh developments don't prove distractive

With the prospect of potentially being owned by a figure whose net worth is approximately £2.21bn, it is unsurprising that such developments have been a blow to supporters. However, those on the pitch and Struber cannot afford to let off-field developments distract them from what has been an overly positive opening month-and-a-half of the season.

After finishing inside the Championship play-offs for the first time since 2008 last term, there is a sense of optimism that their long-term exile from the top division will come to an end in the near future.

The likes of Scott Twine, Emil Riis, Anis Mehmeti, Jason Knight, Rob Dickie and Radek Vitek have been in inspired form across all departments for Struber thus far, and he will hope this continues on Saturday as they take on Preston North End at Deepdale.