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Has Chinese state acquired a stake in Southampton?

The Premier League is looking into whether the Chinese state has gained a big stake in Southampton after its owner ceded control of a sports investment vehicle. Gao Jisheng, a real estate magnate and founder of Lander Sports, bought a 80 per cent stake in Southampton in 2017 in a transaction that valued the club at around £200m.

Lander declared in a regulatory filing last month that it would sell a 29.9 per cent stake in itself to the state-owned Chengdu Assets Supervision and Administration Commission for $194m. The deal hands control of Lander to the asset manager with Mr Gao's family retaining a 23.95 per cent stake.

Southampton said this week that it was owned by a UK company also called Lander Sports and funded by the Gao family but otherwise connected to the China-listed company. The club said this meant there had been no change in ownership or control.

The Chinese Government sees football as an important instrument of state power.

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