According to media reports the deadline for Lander to complete the deal to buy a majority shareholding in Saints expires today, will it now happen ?

According to Paul Nicholson of Inside World Football August 1st is the day that Lander's exclusitivity to buy into Saints expires and that Katharina Liebherr now has to decide whether to give them more time, reopen bidding with the deal still on the table or pull out completely.

The exact reason for Lander not completing has been a little clouded, but assumed to be Lander have not been able to get the Chinese Government to let the money out of the country, they seem to blow hot and cold on football investment, a year ago they were happy for Chinese clubs to pay out big money and encouraged investment in sport abroad, but that position seems to change, perhaps worryingly going forward.

But there is also rumour according to Nicholson that Lander chairman Jisheng Gao is still trying to raise the full £210 million to buy the majority 80% shareholding in the club.

He goes on to claim that in sticking with Lander that ironically Saints missed out on another Chinese investor with more clout, but they would buy 100% or nothing and Katharina Liebherr feels that she wants to ensure that her Fathers legacy is continued with still holding that 20%.

The article states that Gao put briefed the media that it was Katharina Liebherr having second thoughts about the sale but that appears to be a smokescreen to buy more time.

That seems to have tested Kat's patience and she could now be concerned that Lander are really the people to take Saints to the next level.

The good news is that there appear to be other investors interested, Nicholson says that although Chinese money seems to have dried up not just with Saints but elsewhere, the US is still an area with plenty of potential owners and that there is at least one that is interested.

How much of a stumbling block Kat holding on to 20% could be is unclear as is if she would be willing to relinquish that to an American owner who she might see as being more able to take the club foward than Lander or for that matter another Far East owner who sometimes can be volatile.

West Bromwich Albion are valued at £225 million so for a full sale Saints might go for more than that.

Some Saints fans claim that Katharina Liebherr doesn't invest or have the money to do so and therefore should sell up and go so that someone who could can come in.

That is a very selfish and ungrateful attitude, without the Liebherr family this club would have gone to the wall and been liquidated, it was within days or doing so back in 2009, since her Father's death Katharina has done nothing but good for the club and put in place a structure that makes us the envy of many other clubs and taken us to a position in football that we have never enjoyed before with a consistency never matched.

We would all do well to remember that and the fat that she is not just selling to the first bidder, but making sure that all the work her family have done in the last 8 years does not go straight down the drain as the plaything of some billionaire who doesn't really care two hoots about his club.

Photo: Action Images

SonicBoom added 11:12 - Aug 1 Spot on Nick. We would do well to remember what that family did for us. From what I've read the issue seems to be as you say, difficulties in getting the money out of China. Apparently the guy has the money, but cannot get approval to invest outside of China.
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helpineedsomebody added 11:48 - Aug 1 we are all very gratefull what the liebherr family have done for this club but too leave the club over 200 million pounds in dedt is not being a good custodion some body has to pay that dedt back plus interest so how the club will move forward with investment in the team /stadium im not sure
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highfield49 added 11:53 - Aug 1 Well said Nick, hopefully the deadline will expire and our owner can look for a more suitable investor who has the club's interests at heart. Perhaps we owe some gratitude to the Chinese government for inadvertently saving us from future financial disaster?
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bstokesaint added 12:56 - Aug 1 Please stay away Lander. If you're struggling to raise the funds to buy the club, what chance in hell do we have of seeing the necessary investment to go forwards. We need a wealthy individual(s) who can afford to lose a bit in the pursuit of a real challenge. With the TV money going as it is right now millions aren't really enough. We need multi billionaires!
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helpineedsomebody added 13:08 - Aug 1 no we need a rich country to invest in us
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wagsta added 13:09 - Aug 1 Where did the £200m in debt figure come from, 'helpineedsomebody'?
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helpineedsomebody added 13:25 - Aug 1 the chines people buying the club
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Gadge60 added 13:28 - Aug 1 Anyone who doesn't appreciate the Liebherr's input into this club (which has been nothing short of incredible from both Father and Daughter) are not real supporters. They are the type of people who would moan if we finish second in the Prem this season!
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SaintBrock added 14:39 - Aug 1 It is pretty obvious the new restrictions imposed on nationals buying trophy assets abroad has put the kibosh on the alleged deal with Lander. It's not fair to blame Lander if they are refused permission to proceed by the state apparatus.
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SaintBrock added 14:43 - Aug 1 What became of the meeting between Ralph Kreuger and Randy Lerner?
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Gadge60 added 14:49 - Aug 1 Yes but at least they could come clean about it instead of suggesting KL has changed her mind. Personally I am not convinced that being owned by a remote Chinese company can be any good for our club especially if they don't come clean about the real reason behind the delay. We know nothing about them. Are they financially viable? Are they in for the long haul? Last thing we need is a bunch of asset stripping, player selling, short term-ists. I never want the club to go that lowe again.......................................

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SaintBrock added 14:56 - Aug 1 What Marcus Liebherr did for this football club is a matter of historical record but don't let's kid ourselves that he did it just for us! After all he didn't hand over any of the shares in the club to fans did he and neither has his daughter and they both had more cash than most of us could imagine? There is surely a limit on our gratitude or must it be eternal? Have we forgotten already that just a few years short earlier Leon Crouch put his hand in his own pocket to help pay the players wages and keep this club afloat. We have a lot to be grateful for to many benefactors over the years since our foundation who contributed to our very existence and survival with hard work on limited means to bring our great club to where it is today. Neglecting all of that dedication for one act by a foreign multi-millionaire is disingenuous to say the least.

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SaintNick added 15:46 - Aug 1 helpineedsomebody, where do the chinese people land us with £200 m debt ? they pay Katharina Liebherr and then get a shareholding simple as that, no debt to the club. SaintBrock, there is a limit on our gratitude and that is till she does something that is against the club, so far she hasnt done, the fact that it has been run as a business in the past 3 years is why we have prospered but there are still some who would rather we had gone into debt to but players we cannot afford. She is now looking for someone who can perhaps invest more money than she has, so until she dos the club a disservice I will be grateful to her for putting the right structure in place, not selling us to the first bidder and being a good custodian of the club. Lets be blunt when a fair amount of our own fans can't justify putting their hands into their pockets to buy season tickets because they havent been entertained for one season out of the last eight, why should a woman from Switzerland be expected to donate

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helpineedsomebody added 16:46 - Aug 1 nick the chinese buy the club & then say this is a gift from us to you when arsenal built there new ground there transfer dealings for 8 years was greatly reduced becouse they had a 450 million pound bill to pay back. if they buy the club there here to make money its called business not a freebee she is not donating / she should be able to invest in her club/ why does a billionair need to go to a bank to borrow money

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