Southampton owners Sport Republic have poured a further £15million into the relegation-threatened club after a share issue.
The deal was finalized on Thursday night and means lead investor Dragan Solak has now put £63million into the club over seven months.
Solak, a Serbian-born businessman, previously injected £48m in September 2022 – a move that diluted minority shareholder Katharina Liebherr’s stake and reduced her previous 20 per cent stake.
Liebherr was not involved in the latest investment round and its stake in St Mary’s Club has now been further reduced.
Solak took the step to support general running costs and to highlight his ongoing commitment to the club.
Sport Republic, a London-based investment firm, completed a takeover of Southampton in January 2022, buying Gao Jisheng’s 80 percent majority stake in the club.
Solak took out a £110million loan in December 2021 to help buy Southampton.
The loan was provided by the Luxembourg registered company Summer Invest Sarl – owned by Solak.
The Premier League knew about the loan before signing the deal, which is unrelated to Southampton’s cash flow and will not be repaid from club accounts.
Southampton are currently fighting to stay in the Premier League and are four points off the bottom of the table.
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(Photo: Steve Bardens – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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