Reading owner hits Rob Couhig with legal action of his own after £12.3m lawsuit
Reading owner Dai Yongge has hit would-be buyer Rob Couhig with court action in the latest off-field twist in the saga to sell the club.
Mr Couhig is the closest any party has come to taking the club off Mr Yongge's hands, reportedly only being one signature off completion back in the summer of 2024.
Accusing the club of breaching exclusivity terms and 'loss of earnings', Mr Couhig has opened legal action against Mr Yongge's Renhe Sports Management company through which he owns the club, worth in excess of £12m.
READ MORE: Full details emerge of Rob Couhig court case
On top of this, Mr Yongge's former lawyers have still got an open winding-up petition against him for unpaid fees from last year.
As of January 21, Mr Yongge has reciprocated the action and started his own lawsuit against Mr Couhig's Redwood Holdings, the company through which he was due to buy the club.
Details on the Courts and Tribunals page show that Mr Yongge has opened proceedings through Prestige Fortune Asia Limited and RFC Bearwood Limited, two subsidiary companies.
Last week, Companies House showed that charges against Bearwood and the club, which were held by Redwood Holdings, had been satisfied.
The Stop Notice on the Select Car Leasing Stadium from Haitong Bank, which was causing issues in the sale of the stadium, was also resolved.
In theory, there is now nothing preventing the sale of the club to any interested buyer, but there is still a stark need for short-term funding this month.
Mr Couhig told the Reading Chronicle: “We have received the defence and counterclaim and begun our review with counsel.
"The facts remain as they have been: Renhe’s counsel circulated the final agreement to sell. It was accepted by Renhe’s minority partners and us. For unknown reasons , Renhe did not complete.
"We have discovered an apparent beach of exclusivity on which we have brought our claim. Our preference remains to resolve all litigation by competing the purchase on the agreed terms and move forward. Failing to get agreement, we have instructed counsel to vigorously pursue our claims and defend those brought against us.
"While litigation is unfortunate, we are confident that when the Court reviews the facts, we will prevail. “
Reading Football Club have been approached for comment.
