Tan would ‘consider’ selling Cardiff for the ‘right price’

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Vincent Tan: May sell up

Cardiff owner Vincent Tan has revealed he would sell the Sky Bet Championship club if he was “offered the right price” but stressed that he is in no rush to do so.

Malaysian businessman Tan issued a statement after reports in the United States suggested that he is seeking to offload his stake in Cardiff, as well as his shares in Belgian club KV Kortrijk, Bosnian outfit FK Sarajevo and his minority holding in new MLS franchise LAFC.

“For the record, I have no plans to sell any of the clubs, but if I am offered the right price, I will certainly consider,” Tan said.

“I am in no rush to sell CCFC, but if I am offered the right price by the right person who I believe will be able to take the club to a higher level, I will certainly consider selling.

“I have said before that if I leave CCFC, I want to leave it in good hands.

“I have been approached on numerous occasions by parties wanting to buy CCFC but the prices offered have not been right.

“CCFC is turning around now in the good hands of Neil Warnock, who I think is a great manager, and I believe it stands a good chance of being promoted again to the Premier League in the next season.”

Tan bought the Welsh outfit in 2010 and has subsequently ploughed more than £150million into the club during his controversial reign.

The club’s debts to Tan in the most recently available accounts stood at more than £100m, although the owner has begun a process of writing off that amount following a pledge to make the Bluebirds debt-free by 2021.

But reports in the American media on Tuesday suggested that Tan would be willing to sell Cardiff for £50m.

The 65-year-old has been cast as both hero and villain during his time at Cardiff.

Tan’s financial support helped Cardiff end a 51-year wait for top-flight football when they were promoted to the Premier League under Malky Mackay in 2013.

But he was vilified by a large section of the club’s fan base for changing Cardiff’s traditional blue colours to red – supposedly a lucky colour in his native Far East.

Cardiff were relegated after just one season in the Premier League and his very public fallout with Mackay saw the club attract headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Tan changed Cardiff’s colours back to blue at the start of 2015 after so much opposition from Bluebirds supporters.

But it is understood that he has only attended one game since at the Cardiff City Stadium, and this apparent lack of enthusiasm has heightened speculation that he is ready to sell.

Cardiff are currently 12th in the Championship with manager Neil Warnock having overseen a climb up the table since succeeding Paul Trollope in October.

Warnock signed a one-year contract extension last week to remain in the post for the 2017-18 season, the 68-year-old saying he had received financial guarantees that Cardiff could push for promotion next term.