Manchester City owners eye acquisition of Dutch club with competition from Red Bull | OneFootball

The City Football Group face a head-to-head battle with Red Bull over the potential acquisition of troubled Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, according to reports.

Further intention from the City Group comes at a time when Manchester City continue to face uncertainty over their 115 charges issued by the Premier League in February 2023, with the club insisting that it is business as usual for them and maintaining confidence in the case.

In a stance maintained since the charges were first confirmed to the general public, Manchester City officials insist they have done nothing wrong and said at the time that they were “surprised” and are supported by a “body of irrefutable evidence”.

And the feeling of confidence and a stance that they have done nothing wrong, with business, financial activity, and wider investments ongoing as normal, is being shown by their parent company’s intentions within the game.

Following on from huge success with their multi-club model at Girona in La Liga and the club’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League, as well as New York City FC in Major League Soccer, City Football Group could be about to take their expertise into the Dutch game.

According to the information of De Gelderlander, as translated and relayed by Get Football, both Manchester City’s parent company City Football Group and Red Bull GmbH are interested in the potential acquisition of troubled Eerste Divisie side Vitesse Arnhem.

There is no further information on whether any negotiations or conversations have taken place between the necessary parties, nor does it state what sort of finances may be involved in any sort of investment or takeover.

The City Football Group currently have 100 per cent stakes in all of Premier League champions Manchester City, Australian A-League side Melbourne City, and French club ESTAC Troyes – who sold Savinho to the Etihad Stadium in a big-money move last summer.

Top-level investments with financial stakes north of 90 per cent are also held by City Football Group in all of Belgian club Lommel, Brazilian side Bahia, and Italian side Palermo, with significant involvement in Girona.

Changes were made to the City Group’s involvement in Girona over the summer given their activity in the UEFA Champions League alongside Manchester City, with three board members stepping down and replaced by solicitors from a Cheltenham-based law firm.