English club Millwall FC rubbishes reports of takeover by Saudi boxing mogul Turki Alalshikh

English football club Millwall has denied a recent report that Saudi Arabia is set to invest in the Championship side.

Millwall told The New Arab that there “is no substance regarding any takeover talks”, and stressed that “the club is not for sale” amid recent speculation of Saudi interest in the side.

On Thursday, the UK Daily Mail tabloid said the southeast London club was in talks with Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi General Entertainment Authority chairman who has spearheaded the country’s investment in boxing and other entertainment fields.

Alalshikh was also the owner and president of Spanish second division club Almeria until last week, and previously owned Egyptian club Pyramids from 2018 to 2019.

He also served as Saudi Pro League side Al-Taawoun’s honorary president.

The report suggested that Millwall and several other English sides are vying to secure Saudi investment, akin to the 2021 Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) takeover of Newcastle United.

The PIF owns 85 percent of the club, while Saudi Arabian businessman Yasir Al-Rumayyan chairs the Magpies, as they are nicknamed.

Speculations of a Saudi takeover were fuelled after Alalshikh replied and reacted to several Millwall FC posts on social media on Thursday.

The rumours were also heightened after Daily Mail Sport columnist Simon Jordan claimed Alalshikh had asked him about purchasing an English football club. Jordan reportedly advised him to buy Sheffield Wednesday, who finished four places below Millwall in the Championship.

Millwall FC has continued to be owned by Millwall Holdings since 2007, after John Berylson took over the club. Beryslon’s son James currently chairs Millwall, following the death of his father in 2023.

Alalshikh has an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion. His tenure as the entertainment authority’s chairman has seen him broker several boxing matches and have them held in the Gulf kingdom.

The Saudi businessman has also ventured into the world of cinema and has worked to expand Saudi Arabia’s entertainment, sports, and tourism sectors as part of the Vision 2030 initiative. The scheme aims to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and to steer away from reliance on oil production.

However, Riyadh’s hosting of sporting and entertainment events, as well as attracting high-profile footballers from Europe to its league, has been labelled as sports-washing in a bid to distract from its poor human rights record.

Millwall reportedly hold takeover talks with Saudi Arabia boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh

Who is Turki Alalshikh? The billionaire investor told to buy Sheffield Wednesday and linked to Millwall

Turki Alalshikh is said to have shown interest in buying an EFL Championship club, with Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday both mooted.

Talk of a Sheffield Wednesday takeover has been ramping up in 2025 after several years of struggling under Dejphon Chansiri.

We revealed exclusively that there is interest in Sheffield Wednesday from Saudi Arabia, as well as America.

Now, the Daily Mail have reported that Simon Jordan told Turki Alalshikh to buy the Owls when the latter asked about purchasing an English club.

It’s also understood that Alalshikh has held talks with Millwall over potential investment in the Lions.

So, here is everything you need to know about the man in question, including his net worth and more.

Turki Alalshikh net worth

According to the most recent report on the figure, published by Marca, Turki Alalshikh has a net worth of $2.8billion (around £2.1billion).

When and where was Turki Alalshikh born

Turki Alalshikh was born on August 4, 1981, making him 43 years old. He was born in Saudi Arabia and attended the King Fahd Security College.

Is Turki Alalshikh a prince?

Alalshikh is not a prince. He acts as an advisor to the Saudi royal family and is referred to as ‘His Excellency’, as extended members of the Saudi royal family are.

Turki Alalshikh boxing

Alalshikh is the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and controls some of the biggest boxing fights in the country.

However, he is now planning his first event out of the Middle East, which will take place on August 3 in Los Angeles.

Saudi investors in shock talks with Championship club - with boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh at the centre of potential deal | Daily Mail Online

Ahead of that fight, he revealed to ESPN how he plans to fix the problems in boxing, saying: “We carefully planned our activities for the last six months,” Alalshikh said. “We are spending the money to [commercialize] our season and at the same time to test the market and know all the secrets about the market.

“And now we have a lot of information and we have our own studies and we think from what we tested in the last six months, there is big opportunity in boxing. … But you must improve the market. You must fix all the problems.”

Dana White and Turki Alalshikh

TKO Group, which includes the UFC ran by Dana White, signed a partnership deal with Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season, and are set for their first event on September 13.

However, after White was originally expected to promote the event, which is headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford, Alalshikh has since announced, as per SI, that Sela will do so.