Trent Alexander-Arnold claims branded 'bulls***' by owner - 'I don't even know him'
Nantes owner Waldemar Kita has hit back at claims Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to buy the Ligue 1 side.
On Thursday evening, reports from L'Equipe claimed the Reds star, via his investment firm which is run by his father, was interested in buying the Ligue 1 side from Kita, who is said to be keen on selling up. The Polish businessman is reportedly open to selling Nantes, in part due to Ligue's 1 inability to land a lucrative TV deal amongst other factors.
While the claims Alexander-Arnold is interested in buying Nantes has been refuted, that has not stop Kita from launching into a tirade as a result of L'Equipe's initial reporting, which also added Kita and the former's father had met recently in Geneva.
Speaking to French outlet Presse Ocean, Kita claimed he did not even know Alexander-Arnold, adding: "This is all bulls***!"
Kita said: "here does that come from? How do you expect a serious man who wants to purchase a club to use a journalist? Trent Alexander-Arnold? But I don’t even know him!
"He told me his father was involved in finance and that they have players as well as agents. I’ve never done any videoconference with anyone, ever. It’s nonsense. How can you even in this business, with such sums?"
The Nantes owner added: "When I sold my company (Vivacy), no one was in the know, not even the personnel. That’s business. It’s a ploy to hurt and disrupt. It’s not serious."
However, should Alexander-Arnold step into club ownership, it will not be the only sporting investment in his portfolio. The Reds ace is already a minority shareholder of F1 team Alpine alongside Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny as well as megastars Rory McIlroy and Anthony Joshua.
L'Equipe claim the prospective takeover bid would amount to $112m (£84m/€100m), including a straight $89m (£67m/€80m) guaranteed plus a seller credit of $22m (£17m/€20m) accompanied by various bonuses of up to $45m (£34m/€40m).
Liverpool.com: "It sounds as though Kita is a bit annoyed about the reporting around the prospective sale of Nantes doesn't it. While it looks as though Alexander-Arnold won't be the new owner of the Ligue 1 side, it will be interesting to see if any more reports come out about the Liverpool full-back being interested in buying a club side somewhere in Europe."