Reading owner Dai Yongge has rejected yet another offer to buy the club – this time from former striker Roger Smee, i can reveal.
Smee, who went on to become a property tycoon after his playing career, is considered a hero by many fans after helping the club resist plans by Robert Maxwell to merge the club with Oxford United in the 1980s.
Smee became Reading chairman and eventually sold the club to John Madjeski, the former AutoTrader owner who guided the club through many successful seasons, including spells in the Premier League.
The 76-year-old made a sizeable and serious bid for Reading last Friday, i has been told, but it has been rejected by the owner. Smee had attempted to keep his attempts to buy the club out of the public domain.
“After many months of diligently preparing a structured and connected bid in alliance with many of the town’s key local stakeholders, I’m disappointed that news of my bid has been leaked to the media,” Smee said.
“I am respectful of the owner and the sale process and wanted my interest to remain private.
“In response to these claims in the media, I reluctantly feel I have to comment. I confirm that my team submitted a carefully considered bid last week.
“I believe it was firmly competitive with previous proposals that had been entertained and publicly granted exclusivity. At this stage, I am not prepared to divulge the details of our bid, again in respect of the owners, their ongoing process, the club and its dedicated fans.
“I confirm the motivation for my interest is solely the future for Reading Football Club, ensuring it continues to play at its highest level, playing an integral role in the town’s sporting and cultural community.
“Disappointingly, after more than a year of a full working team, with no public leakage of our efforts, my efforts have appeared in the press. This is not what I wanted and helps no one. I am equally sad to tell you my bid has been rejected.”
Former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig was confident he had secured a deal for the club, thought to be around £25m, only for it to fall through this season.
Reading fans have been campaigning for years, led by protest group Sell Before We Dai, calling for the owner to sell the club. They have launched a series of high-profile stunts, including throwing tennis balls onto the pitch, to raise awareness of their situation.
There had been confidence that Couhig was set to take over. Reporting on the collapse of Couhig’s bid in September, Sell Before We Dai spokesperson Caroline Parker told i: “All the ingredients are there for someone to run the club properly.”
She added: “The indications were everything was progressing well. Rob was meeting fans, at games, he sold the dream it was all going forward. I don’t know what happened. It leaves you with the uncomfortable feeling that you don’t know what’s going on at your own club.”
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