Bristol City ‘not close’ to takeover says owner Steve Lansdown

Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown has revealed the club are “not close” to a potential takeover or new investment.

Lansdown’s comments come two and a half years on from when he first discussed the idea of selling Bristol City for the “right deal” which could end his 28-year affiliation with his hometown club.

In his first interview with BBC Radio Bristol since April 2023, Lansdown detailed why a purchase for the Robins is not straightforward given they fall under the Bristol Sport umbrella which also includes the women’s team, Bristol Bears men and women and the Bristol Flyers basketball team.

Work on the ‘Sporting Quarter’ is also due to begin this year, with a multi-purpose 5,000-seater arena to be built next to Ashton Gate, in-part funded by the sale of land at nearby Ashton Vale which was once earmarked as a site for a new stadium.

“We’re not close,” said the Guernsey-based billionaire said. “We’re talking to a number of people and we’ve talked to a number of people over time.

“There’s the development of the Sporting Quarter so we’re looking to raise money to fund that. Some of that funding has come in from the sale of Ashton Vale.

“We’re either looking for partners there and take that project on, or for somebody to come in and take that project on.

“The other thing is the sporting clubs themselves. It’s either for people to come in and invest alongside us or if people do want to take the whole thing on to be able to do that.

“I’m not going to pass this football club on to somebody who’s going to leverage it. I’ve learnt my lessons in football; if you push for the sky and you leverage, you might get away with it.

“Some clubs I know that have, but they nearly went bust in the process while some clubs did go bust – this isn’t going to happen to Bristol City.”

With City’s status as an established Championship club with excellent infrastructure including the Robins High Performance training ground, they are an attractive proposition for potential investment.

Lansdown, who has personally invested around £280m in the club, believes the Robins have the best possible foundations to go to the next level but similar levels of investment from himself is not something he wants to “keep doing”.

“What I think I’ve achieved over the years is I’ve put the football club in a position where it can go from strength to strength,” the 72-year-old added.

“This club has got everything and it’s so respected in the marketplace and so respected in football as a whole that it’s almost too good.

“I need to find other people that will do it with us or we can find a way to get better sponsorships so that we’re in a better position to fund these things.”