On Sunday Lander Sports issued a statement saying that they were pulling out of buying Saints, however now they are saying something quite different.
News portal chinadaily.com is now reporting that the deal is not actually dead and may go ahead just not quite as planned, although just how this will work is still unclear.
Last Sunday, Lander Sports issued a statement, saying it was terminating plans to invest in St. Mary's Football Group. The statement cited uncertainty following changes in China's securities market and relevant policies. Most interpreted the statement as evidence that the deal was dead.
But Lander Holding Group has today said it intends to see the deal go forward, but that it will involve the unlisted parent company directly, and not be done through the subsidiary. Lander has refused to issue additional comments.
Just what this means is unclear, do Lander mean they are now going to buy Saints through Lander Holding Group rather than Lander Sports or are they trying to buy Southampton's parent company rather than the Football group.
It s all rather confusing and it now seems that Lander Holdings seem determined to keep a quieter profile on the deal than their subsidary sports group was doing.
The value and details of the deal are still unclear although some sources are reporting it was for £210 million and that was for 80% of the football club.