Property tycoon linked to Blackburn Rovers takeover

9:09am Monday 30th June 2008

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By Gavin Gibbon »

A MANCHESTER-BASED property developer is the latest name to be linked to a multi-million pound takeover of Blackburn Rovers.

It has been reported that Altrincham entrepreneur Nabeel Chowdery is looking into a possible £40 million deal to buy the Ewood Park outfit.

However, a spokesman for Rothschilds, the brokers working on behalf of the Walkers Trustees, said: “He hasn’t spoken to me although that doesn’t mean to say that he hasn’t spoken to anyone else at Rothschilds.

“Things are going slowly. From our point of view there is no new story at the moment.”

And Rovers chairman John Williams added: “Our position is that there are a number of interested parties, but there is no new news. There is nothing imminent.”

Chowdery was born to Pakistani parents before settling in Manchester from Faisalabad in the late 1950s.

His Property Route company has a portfolio valued at over half a billion pounds and he owns 11 main companies and, overall about 36 subsidiaries, leading him to be named 562nd richest person in the UK this year by the Sunday Times.

Chowdery, who is a friend of Rovers keeper Brad Friedel and does a great deal of work for charity, was reported to have said: “I think it’s probably worth £40m, but the price they are asking is too high. If they wanted to come to a realistic figure we could have a deal.

“I’m interested, but not at their level.

“It has to be the right deal for me. If it was a property deal I would instruct my people to look at it and come up with a figure.

“But it’s football and I think Rovers want someone to pay bigger because of the kudos and goodwill involved with being a football club.”