Owls rumoured to be close to takeover deal

Last updated : 03 June 2014 By C. Morris

Rumours have taken off at pace today linking Sheffield Wednesday with a major takeover bid. Hafiz Mammadov, the owner of French top flight team RC Lens, is said to be closing in on a deal to take control of the Championship club.

Mammadov, an Azerbaijani businessman who also owns FC Baku and is said to have an interest in Porto and Athletico Madrid, invested in Lens last year.

The French club have gained promotion to the French elite since Mammadov's investment and the thought is that he is planning to make a similar impact at Hillsborough.

Wednesday fans will be understandably cautious in respect of this talk having seen so many false dawns in the past decade or so when it comes to major investment but on this occasion the story has stemmed from a highly respected French journalist. At this stage the club have made no official formal comment on the matter.

Milan Mandaric has made no secret of his desire to sell the club and has courted a number of potential investors since saving the club from the brink of administration around 4 years ago though he has always maintained that he is in no great rush to do so and will only pass on the reigns to an investor that is willing to put the necessary funds in to move the club forward.