City owners likely to invest in Indian club this year: CEO Soriano

London/New Delhi : English Premier League giants Manchester City’s owners City Football Group (CFG) are planning to invest in an Indian football team by the end of this year, said chief executive Ferran Soriano. 

An official of a reputed club, who has been tracking the development, said the Premier League champions are at an “advanced stage of discussions” with Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Mumbai City FC. They have also had preliminary discussions with Jamshedpur FC. 

“Last year, they visited India and watched a match between Jamshedpur and Mumbai City. Talks are on for sure,” the official, close to Mumbai City FC, said. 

Another official in the know of things, said: “City owners have been talking to Mumbai for the past eight months and talks are at an advanced stage.” 

City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi Royal Family, has recently purchased a Chinese third division club Sichuan Jiuniu, a seventh addition to their bouquet of clubs, which also include New York City, Melbourne City, Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos, Atletico Torque and Girona.