Lai still wants to sell West Brom, no offers meeting valuation made
By Olly Allen
Guochuan Lai is still no closer to selling West Bromwich Albion, according to The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley.
The Baggies owner is hugely unpopular at The Hawthorns and reportedly wants to pass the Championship club on to new hands.
However, rumours of a takeover have come and gone, with Madeley admitting that the price is the main stumbling block to getting any deal done.
“I have heard nothing to suggest the position has changed from where it was a few months ago,” the journalist wrote on The Athletic.
“Guochuan Lai has never put his own money into the club anyway. He would like to sell, but no one has matched his valuation yet.”
A deal needs to happen
Seeing Lai sell up would make many Baggies fans’ wishes come true. The Chinese billionaire proclaimed to be a fan of the club when he took over in 2016, but his tenure has not panned out as hoped.
Lai does not want to be at the club, has not attended a match in nearly three years and will not invest any of his money.
Despite receiving parachute payments and selling Matheus Pereira, West Brom only made free transfers and loan deals in the summer, frustrating supporters even more.
For the sake of the club’s long-term future, they need an owner who is visible, transparent and willing to drive them forward. In other words, the complete opposite of Lai.
Naturally, being in the Premier League would make the club a more attractive prospect to potential buyers, meaning an instant return to the top flight is a priority for Valerien Ismael.
If that is achieved, it may then also require some wriggle room on Lai’s part to drop his asking price for a takeover to be completed.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has hit out at Adrian Durham after what he said about Valerien Ismael.
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