Portsmouth arch-rivals Southampton 'up for sale' following Premier League relegation
Pompey’s south coast rivals Southampton are reportedly up for sale.
That’s according to TalkSPORT pundit and former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan, who claimed there’s a rumour doing the rounds that Dragon Solak is looking to sell up at St Mary’s.
The Daily Echo first revealed a potential £125m price tag had been put on the Saints, although that was later denied by club sources.
Serbian-born businessman Solak acquired the Blues’ arch rivals for a reported £100m in 2022, with his investment firm - Sport Republic, set up by himself - Rasmus Ankersen and Henrik Kraft taking over the majority share from Gao Jisheng.
Since then, Southampton have been in a state of flux, having been relegated from the Premier League in their first full season at the helm, before making an instant return to the top flight last season.
And the ownership has come under fire once again after an awful campaign this year has seen them relegated back to the Championship with seven games to go - a new top-flight record.
Now the Saints have just four matches to better Derby’s record-low points tally of 11 set during the 2007-08 season, with interim manager Simon Rusk and his troops currently sat on the same total.
But ahead of their impending return to the second tier next term, it has been reported that Solak is looking to cash in at St Mary’s.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Jordan said: ‘On the basis of performances this season, Ipswich haven't got any more stability than Southampton. There is a rumour going around that Southampton are up for sale but the fact of the matter is that they have all gone down with no great credit.’
Solak took full control in January when he became chairman, after Kraft stepped down from his role. But the Saints are set for another bottom-of-the-table finish under Sport Republic’s leadership - the second in three seasons - and are preparing for life once again in the Championship.
After taking the reins at St Mary’s earlier in the campaign, the 60-year-old was far from pleased with the on-field performances but insisted he was happy at the club.
Dragon Solak ‘happy’ at Southampton
He told TalkSport in January: ‘I wouldn't say losing is a new experience for me because [anyone] who had certain success knows that the path to success is basically going through defeats. The main thing is to learn and to get better and not to repeat the same mistakes. So I have to say I love Southampton as a football club, as a town.
‘I think we have the best fans in the world. We have the colours that I loved from my childhood before even I knew Southampton. I feel completely at home here and I'm as passionate as ever to make this club successful and I will do everything possible. That's why I decided to assume the chair.
‘I show everybody that I'm going nowhere and I will do everything I can to make it work. For me, the healing process is thinking longer term. If I see the path and the light at the end of the tunnel, then I feel a bit better. I have to say that I feel quite positive about our future. We have to do some things differently.’
After Pompey confirmed their Championship survival last week, Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League will mean there will be a south coast derby for the first time since 2019, when the League One Blues lost 4-0 to their neighbours in the Carabao Cup.
The last league meeting between the two clubs came in 2012, when Michael Appleton’s men secured a 2-2 draw at St Mary’s.