Cardiff takeover to cost up to £50m after Gareth Bale bid rejected

Exclusive: Cardiff City takeover to cost up to £50m after Gareth Bale bid rejected

Cardiff City are spiralling after relegation but Vincent Tan is showing no interest in selling to a group including former Tottenham star Gareth Bale.

That is the view of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider that the only pricing figure that mattered was the one that the club’s owner decided on.

Cardiff finished bottom of the Championship last season, with only one of the three managers employed actually registering a win.

Erol Bulut went winless in his six games in charge before Omer Riza took over. Despite the Bluebirds signing some exciting young talent in the summer of 2024, the squad lacked the quality to compete in England’s cut-throat second tier.

Aaron Ramsey took over as caretaker manager to finish the season, and the former Arsenal man’s time in charge was indicative of the lack of direction the club have been forced to endure during Tan’s era in control of the Welsh side.

In a bid to rescue his hometown side from the clutches of the hapless owner, Bale and a group of investors bid for Cardiff [BBC Sport].

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However, the offer was rejected, with Tan thought to have little interest in selling the club.

Aaron Ramsey took charge of Cardiff for their final three games last season.

Cardiff City value drops as Gareth Bale looks to takeover

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, finance expert Plumley explained that the club’s value had dipped due to relegation.

The senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University estimated that the value had fallen from between £50-60million, to somewhere in the region of £40m.

However, Plumley then admitted that monetary values mattered little if Tan was simply unwilling to cede control of the club.

He said: “Based on the numbers we’ve got, and again, we need to bear in mind we’re a year out of date with the finances in terms of the accounts that we can see.

Gareth Bale’s career stats. (Credit: Getty Images)

“So as a Championship club, Cardiff would command a valuation, probably in and around £50-60m.

“And again, you can get to that number through decent robust revenue multipliers, asset valuation, the upsides of the fan base and the history and the heritage, and comparable sales of other the Championship clubs and stakes in thereof.

“So £50-60m would seem a reasonable valuation as a Championship club, of course relegation impacts that value and the difference between League One and the Championship in revenue terms tends to be about £7-10m, give or take, with TV money drop off and also a bit of commercial drop off and maybe attendance reduction.

“So let’s say conservatively £10m if you took that off, then you’re into more of a valuation as a League One club, probably closer to £40 million and if you’re going to put an offer in again, you probably go in a little bit lower, in and around that £35-40m mark.

“That would be kind of decent estimates to work from, and I’m sure the Vincent Tan argument is, well, we’re worth much more than that, so I’ve got no desire to sell.

“So that’s a factor again, in in any sort of negotiation, if he’s not not prepared to sell it’s not going to get through the door ultimately.

“But if you were looking at them as a League One club, I think you’re probably now taking that Championship range of £50-60m and probably knocking £10m off.”

Karl Robinson is in the running to take over at Cardiff City. (Credit: Imago)

Karl Robinson in contention to become new Cardiff boss amid takeover uncertainty

Amidst the uncertainty of who will be running the club next season, Karl Robinson has emerged as an option for Cardiff, Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider.

With no manager and a group looking to take over from the current owner, it would be a surprise to see the Salford City manager look to move to Wales.

However, whilst there is chaos at boardroom level, the Bluebirds still have a lot of promising talent on offer on the pitch, and will be among the favourites to achieve promotion next season.

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