Consortium founder has form

According to previous reports in France PAI Capital founder Nasib Piriyev made a previous failed offer for football club Olympique De Marseille last May.

He and his father founded the successful PNN Group which built on success in the Azerbaijani oil and gas industry and once paid for former British PM Tony Blair to fly to Baku in 2009 to open the plant of the Azerbaijan Methanol Company.

Journalist Thibaud Vézirian claimed Piriyeev is said to have set up a project with a large Chinese bank and people “who know football” to attempt to take over the French Ligue 1 club.

He claimed an offer was made to Frank McCourt’s lawyers with the journalist saying that the approach was rejected but RMC were quick to deny the existence of any bid.

Owner of Marseille Frank  McCourt was later quoted as telling local  French media  ‘ I do not deny the willingness of some investors to acquire Olympique De Marseille. I deny that an Azeri banker forwarded an offer earlier this week’

The report suggests Marseille was worth 600 million Euros (£511m) at the alleged phantom offer.

Does any of this sound familiar?