Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Borussia Dortmund confirm approach by Chinese investment group Fosun

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that they turned down an approach by Chinese investment group Fosun.

Fosun, which owns Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, wants to invest in German football.

But the country's 50+1 rule, stipulating that more than 50 percent of a club must be owned by its members, makes doing a takeover deal more complicated.

On Wednesday, Dortmund confirmed a report in Capital which said Fosun had approached several clubs including BVB, the only Bundesliga club to be stock listed.

"There were only exploratory talks regarding a possible cooperation in the touristic sector," BVB finance executive Thomas Tress told Reviersport.

"During those talks we made it clear that a majority stake for Fosun through a capital increase was out of the question."

Reviersport reported that there had been no further talks between the two parties.

In an interview with Kreiszeitung, Werder Bremen CEO Klaus Filbry confirmed that his club had also held talks with the Chinese investor.

"We were in talks with Fosun 16 months ago, but did not continue those talks," he said, adding that Bremen were looking for a strategic partnership rather than a financial investment.

Hertha Berlin, another club approached by Fosun, held talks in November 2016 when the club's finance executive Ingo Schiller visited the conglomerate's headquarters, the club told Berliner Morgenpost.

According to the report in Capital, Borussia Monchengladbach, Hamburg and Wolfsburg were also approached by Fosun.

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