Fiorentina plan a ‘purple renaissance’ starting with €420m new stadium
March 13 – Serie A club Fiorentina have outlined plans for a new 40,000 capacity stadium in Florence that would be open for the start of the 2021-22 season.
Finance
Berlusconi prepared to keep AC Milan and the €200m if Chinese deal disappears
March 8 – Silvio Berlusconi has said that he would “not hesitate” to keep AC Milan if Chinese buyers Sino-Europe Sports failed to complete on the acquisition. But if you had already accepted a €200 million non-refundable deposit you would likely say the same.
London’s Mayor gives go-ahead for Chelsea to redevelop Stamford Bridge
March 8 – London Mayor Sadiq Khan has given approval to Chelsea’s new £500 million stadium. The club’s redevelopment proposal had been agreed by the Hammersmith and Fulham local council in January,
Swans report £14.6m loss as management change drives up costs
By David Owen
March 6 – Swansea City have become the latest Premier League outfit to report a downturn in financial performance. The South Wales club, making good headway on the pitch under new manager Paul Clement, have posted a £14.6 million pre-tax loss for the year to July 31.
Celtic’s gain, Liverpool’s loss. £15.7m redundancy payment takes shine off Reds’ profits
By David Owen
March 5 – A hefty redundancy payment for former manager Brendan Rodgers looks to have been partly responsible for the deterioration in profitability at Liverpool in the 2015-16 financial year.
Leicester City end glory year with a £16.4m profit
By David Owen
March 5 – The market value of Leicester City’s playing squad is reckoned to have nearly quadrupled to £236.3 million as a consequence of last year’s fairy tale season which ended with the Foxes crowned Premier League champions in one of sporting history’s greatest shocks.
AC Milan deal stalled again as Chinese offer a third £100m deposit to Berlusconi
March 2 – The closing of the sale of AC Milan to a Chinese investment group rescheduled for March 3, now looks set to be extended further with club owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly considering accepting a third, non-refundable, €100 million deposit on the deal.
Chinese transfer window closes after a record £331m spend. Is it closed for good?
March 2 – China’s new restrictions on foreign player quotas in order to boost domestic progress is widely expected to reduce lavish overseas spending.
Sterling transfer not enough to stop Liverpool falling £19.8m into the red
By David Owen
March 1 – Liverpool, one of five clubs locked in a fight for Champions League places behind runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea, tumbled back into the red in the 2015-16 financial year. The club reported a pre-tax loss of £19.8 million, versus a profit of £60 million last time, when it was the Premiership’s most profitable club.
Villa reports losses of £80m as club struggles to find winning returns
By David Owen
February 28 – Aston Villa have disclosed a heavy operating loss of more than £80 million for the year to 31 May 2016, which saw them relegated from the Premier League.
Roma wasn’t built in a day. Club at last wins go-ahead to build Stadio della Roma
February 27 – The long-running on-off saga of Roma’s new stadium plans looks to have been resolved with the club and the Rome local authorities announcing they have come to a deal on the new Stadio della Roma late on Friday. To celebrate Roma beat in-form Inter Milan 3-1 in Milan to retain second spot in Serie A.
Exclusive: Brexit 1 The Football Association 0, but it’s early doors
By David Owen
February 27 – Britain’s vote to leave the European Union (EU) had a significant impact on the Football Association’s 2016 results.
Rooney staying at Man Utd as big money Chinese move fails to materialise
February 24 – England captain Wayne Rooney has ended talk of a possible move to China saying he wants to remain at Manchester United.
Chinese march on the Saints gets a rival second column
By Paul Nicholson
February 23 – Chinese interest in acquiring Premier League Southampton looks to have doubled with a reported £246 million bid from materials giant Amer International and CITIC Securities to rival the Lander Sports Development bid of £200 million that was rejected by the club’s owner Katarina Liebherr.
Chinese on verge of completing €740m AC Milan buy
February 22 – The long awaited completion of the sale of Italy’s AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors looks now to be set for March 3.