Manchester City owners admit interest in investing in India

Manchester City v West Ham United - Premier League

What's the story?

Ferran Soriano, chief executive of City Football Group (CFG) - the company which owns Premier League giants Manchester City, has claimed that club owners are looking to invest in India.

In case you didn't know...

City Football Group not only owns Manchester City but has expanded its business in China, Japan, Uruguay, the USA, Australia and Spain. Over the past six years, the group has acquired five clubs and is set to make more investments in future.

They recently acquired the ownership of Chinese side Sinchuan Jiuniu, with CFG also owning Girona (La Liga), Yokohama F. Marinos (J league), Melbourne City (A-League), Club Atletico Torque (Uruguayan club) and New York City (MLS).

With the advent of the Indian Super League, India, who recently hosted the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, has been attracting huge interest throughout Europe. Previously, clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina invested in the ISL, with their tie-ups with ATK and FC Pune City respectively.

India's leading market for football also saw teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich investing in the academies to nurture talents, with the prospect of our younger talents training and nurturing their talents in Europe.

The heart of the matter

Soriano has admitted that CFG is interested in the Asian market, particularly India, claiming that they are open to investing in an Indian outfit at the end of this year.

"We have some interest in some markets and countries where there is a genuine football passion and opportunities, like China, but also India," said Soriano on an interview as quoted by Sky Sports. "So there might be other opportunities in Asia."

"With all these developments, we have to be patient. We've been looking at India for nearly two years now. I'd say this year we'll end up doing an investment in India." concluded Soriano.

What's next?

The interest of CFG will come as a welcome news for the Indian football fans as there is no shortage of passion for the sport in the country.

However, it remains to be seen which club they may invest in the near future and how it will shape the future of Indian football.