Southampton owners to buy major stake in club managed by former Chelsea star

Southampton's owners are close to buying a significant share of Irish club Shelbourne.

Sport Republic, the London-based investment firm backed by Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak, have been in talks with the Dublin side for several months and a deal is nearing completion.

Shelbourne, who are managed by former Chelsea winger Damien Duff and will this weekend play in the Irish Cup final, would become the third club owned by Sport Republic.

Having bought an 80% share of Saints for about £100m in January, they purchased a majority holding in Turkish second division side Goztepe in the summer.

Sport Republic is run by Henrik Kraft and former Brentford director of football Rasmus Ankersen, whose data-driven approach has won many plaudits across the game.

Upon completing their deal for Southampton, Kraft said: "Whilst Southampton is Sport Republic's first acquisition, we expect more investments to follow over the coming years. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world."

Solak is the richest man in Serbia and runs the United Group media corporation.

The exact size of Sport Republic's proposed stake in Shelbourne is unknown but the club's current chairman Andrew Doyle, who has overseen its resurrection from the second tier, is expected to remain.

In February Shelbourne said that a group of businessmen based in America had made a sizeable "equity investment" in the club.

Meanwhile, Saints will have Ruben Selles in caretaker charge for Wednesday's Carabao Cup third round game at home to Sheffield Wednesday after Luton Town manager Nathan Jones last night confirmed that he would speak to the south coast side about taking over from Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Southampton, who are 18th and have one win in six, travel to Liverpool on Saturday afternoon before the World Cup break.

Speaking after a 2-0 defeat away to Stoke, Jones said: "I've got a wonderful club here and that can't be forgotten. I'm very flattered to be linked with a Premier League club. We'll see what the next few days bring.

"It's not the first opportunity I've had to speak to people but I haven't wanted to. This is slightly different because of the situation and the club that it is. It will take something really special to take me away from here."

Luton have already said that Southampton "have approached the board in the correct manner, for which we are grateful, and that the whole situation is extremely amicable with Southampton and with Nathan."

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