Football League World
·22 June 2025
How much has Vincent Tan invested in Cardiff City as Gareth Bale makes takeover approach

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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·22 June 2025
Football League World looks at Vincent Tan's Cardiff City investment amid reports that Gareth Bale is looking to purchase his hometown club
It was recently revealed that Wales icon Gareth Bale is fronting a consortium to takeover hometown club Cardiff City.
As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, the former Real Madrid star’s group have expressed their desire to buy the Bluebirds following their relegation to League One.
The initial proposal is thought to have been rejected, but interest from Bale and Co. in the takeover remains strong.
Cardiff supporters have been desperate for Vincent Tan to sell up if an ideal buyer emerges. The Welsh outfit have steadily declined since their relegation from the Premier League in 2019, suffering a high turnover of players and managers in that period.
This culminated with relegation to the third-tier for the first time in more than 20 years last season.
Amid Bale’s interest in taking over the Welsh giants, Football League World take a look at how much money Tan has pumped into the club since acquiring Cardiff in 2010.
It’s fair to say that the 73-year-old’s spell as Cardiff owner has been controversial, despite enjoying some success in that time.
In particular, his decision to change both the club's home colours and badge to red in 2011 wasn’t received well by the Bluebirds’ supporters.
However, two promotions to the Premier League in that time is a decent return even if the club couldn’t cement their position in England’s top-flight.
In 2022, Tan’s Cardiff investment was quoted as being in excess of £200 million which highlights how financially dependent the Welsh side are on their owner.
He injected £3 million into the Bluebirds during the Covid-19 pandemic just to keep the lights on at the Cardiff City Stadium, adding to the already extreme volume of capital invested.
The pandemic was a difficult time for Tan financially, and Cardiff have not been able to spend on the same level as they were before 2020.
Although the relationship between the Bluebirds’ faithful and Tan hasn’t always been perfect, he would boost his relationship tenfold by gracefully handing over the club to Bale’s consortium.
The amount of money the Malaysian businessman has invested into Cardiff can’t be ignored but the general consensus among the club’s fanbase is that the time has come for a new owner.
This summer has been somewhat of a fresh start for the Welsh giants, with Brian Barry-Murphy taking charge ahead of the side’s first League One campaign in over two decades.
Accompanying this with fresh ownership in the form of Bale’s consortium would inject real positivity and enthusiasm into the Cardiff City Stadium, something that has been sorely lacking in recent times.
Despite Tan rebuffing Bale’s initial approach, exciting times could soon be on the horizon for the Bluebirds once more.