Nigerian billionaire Dozy Mmobuosi is closing in on a deal to buy Sheffield United for around £90 million amid the club’s recent transfer embargo.
According to The Times, Mmobuosi is reportedly thought to be in the final stages of buying the Bramall Lane club. It is understood that the prospective buyer still needs to pass the EFL’s owners’ and directors’ test, but that ‘no problems have arisen’ so far.
It has been known for some time that the Blades could be sold with current owner HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud struggling to maintain the funding needed to keep the club going, The Mirror reports. Last year, American businessman Henry Mauriss, who was previously linked with taking over Newcastle, had a bid, understood to be over £100m, accepted by the club’s hierarchy.
But according to The Sheffield Star, a proposed takeover of the Blades by Mauriss collapsed because of the complex financial structure he was using to try and purchase the Yorkshire club. It means that Sheffield United are still in search of a new buyer and it is reported Mmobuosi is behind this bid.
Mmobuosi first made his mark on the world when he founded a company called Tingo Mobile PLC in Nigeria in 2001, and it is an organisation that has grown ever since. He then created his own foundation in 2021 that aims to “promote the progress of Africa and create an environment where Africans can thrive” where he focuses on improving education, healthcare and Information Technology development in his home country.
The 43-year-old Nigerian businessman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a Master of Science degree in Economics from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo state, South-South Nigeria.
He also has a doctorate in Rural Advancement from Universiti Putra Malaysia and recently completed an Advanced Management and Leadership Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
He is worth around £7 billion and could bring in a renewed sense of hope on the finance front to the Blades, who have spent just shy of £4m in transfer fees since last January. The Blades are currently going through a transfer embargo after defaulting on payment owed to another club. The EFL confirmed on its website that their issue relates to the non-payment of a transfer fee that was owed.