How much money Steve Lansdown has pumped into Bristol City - It's eye-watering | OneFootball

Football League World looks at just how much Steve Lansdown has invested in Bristol City over the years

There is fresh talk of a potential takeover at Bristol City, which could see long-standing owner Steve Lansdown end his 28-year reign with his hometown club.

According to a recent report published by The Sun's Alan Nixon, Saudi businessman Turki Alalshikh is "checking out" the Championship club ahead of a potential takeover approach, having also been linked to the purchases of fellow second-tier duo Millwall and Southampton.

Best known for his credentials in the boxing industry, the billionaire has arranged some of the biggest fights in the game but is now reportedly turning some of his attention to football.

The Robins would surely receive significant investment under Alalshikh in the event of any takeover, likely at a level or two beyond what current owner Lansdown can offer.

Also a billionaire, Lansdown's investment has been a topic of discourse among supporters in recent times. In terms of transfer expenditure, if nothing else, the Robins are far from big spenders by Championship standards and fans have debated whether Lansdown has both the ambition and financial muscle to lead the club to the Premier League for the first time in its history, with last season's sixth-placed finish representing a notable outlier following years of mid-table mediocrity since returning to the second-tier in 2016.

However, the amount of money Lansdown has actually invested over the years at Ashton Gate may just come as something of a surprise for all the right reasons.

How much money Steve Lansdown has invested at Bristol City

According to BBC Sport, the 72-year-old - who has been Bristol City chairman since 2002 - has invested £280 million of his own money into the club.

Notably, £40 million was required in order to undertake a redevelopment of Ashton Gate, which was completed ahead of the 2016/17 season after previous plans for a new stadium at Ashton Vale fell through.

The redevelopment saw Ashton Gate transformed into a multi-use venue with a total capacity of 27,000, and one that ranks among the largest and most architecturally impressive throughout the Championship.

Meanwhile, City are also looking to head underway with the construction of a new Sporting Quarter next to Ashton Gate, which will feature a 5,000-capacity arena alongside a conference centre, new homes, offices, a hotel and a multi-story car park.

On the pitch, the Robins have not invested quite so heavily and are yet to spend an eight-figure fee on a single player, with the £8 million acquisition of Tomas Kalas from Chelsea in July 2019 remaining a club-record to this day.

What Steve Lansdown has said about his Bristol City investment

Lansdown, however, has conceded that he can no longer continue committing to similar levels of investment.

In fairness, that cannot be knocked too much. After all, Lansdown has invested close to £300 million in Bristol City over the years, and he believes that the club now needs fresh investment to build upon the foundations he has implemented.

In Lansdown's view, the Robins are ready to go to the next level but will need external investment in order to realise that potential - and whether that could potentially come from Alalshikh only remains to be seen.

Earlier this year, the Robins owner told BBC Sport: "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.

"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.