Man City owner eyes New York MLS team: report

30 April 2013 18:16

Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family whose investment group owns English Premier League side Manchester City, reportedly wants a Major League Soccer team for New York.

The New York Times reported that Mansour has entered final talks with the US league for a 20th club and is willing to pay a $100 million expansion fee for a team that could be dubbed New York FC and begin play in 2016.

A deal is nearly set, the Times said, to build a $340 million stadium that would seat 25,000 spectators as a new home for the club near the US Open tennis grounds and the home stadium of Major League Baseball's New York Mets.

MLS hopes to announce the deal ahead of Manchester City's exhibition match at New York's Yankee Stadium against English rival Chelsea on May 25, according to the report.

The sheik's group bought Manchester City in 2008 for $330 million and the team won its first Premier League crown in 44 years in 2012.

Source: AFP