Bristol City Confirm Talks with Saudi Sports Chief Turki Alalshikh Over Investment

Bristol City chief executive Tom Rawcliffe has confirmed that the Championship club held discussions with Saudi sports official Turki Alalshikh regarding potential investment.

Reports in September suggested Alalshikh was close to buying the club, but the Saudi sports chief later denied the claims on social media, calling them “not true.”

Majority owner Steve Lansdown, who has controlled Bristol City since 1996, has been open about seeking new investment or a possible full sale since 2021. Rawcliffe reiterated this position during a fans’ forum on Wednesday, saying the club remained “up for investment, but it has to be the right investment.”

Rawcliffe said there had been interest from both American and Middle Eastern investors but stressed that no deal was imminent. “It’s no secret that we’re looking for investment, whether that is a minority or majority,” he said. “The Lansdown family are not going to be here forever, and we’ve got to prepare ourselves. We’ve had interest from all over the world, but we haven’t come overly close.”

Alalshikh, 44, is a prominent figure in global sport and entertainment, serving as a senior Saudi government official and holding major influence in boxing. He has previously owned football clubs in Spain and Egypt.

Bristol City are part of the Bristol Sport group, which also includes the Bristol Bears rugby teams and Bristol Flyers basketball. The group sold its women’s football team to American investors Mercury13 in September.

Following Alalshikh’s denial of interest in Bristol City, he also claimed another English club — believed to be Manchester United — was close to securing new investment, a claim that United sources later rejected.