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Southampton confirm takeover by Sport Republic, led by Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak and former Brentford chief Rasmus Ankersen, as Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng relinquishes control of the club

Southampton have confirmed a takeover of the club by Sport Republic, an investment firm led by Serbian TV billionaire Dragan Solak.

Solak and his consortium have bought a controlling 80 per cent stake in the Premier League club from Gao Jisheng, whose four-year tenure on the south coast has now come to an end.

London-based investment firm Sport Republic was founded by Henrik Kraft and Rasmus Ankersen, with the latter only stepping down as Brentford's director of football at the end of 2021.

United Group founder Dragan Solak has completed a deal to buy Southampton

The group is backed financially by Solak, who is the founder of Serbian cable TV operator United Group.