China's Richest Man Set to Invest Close to €150m Into Serie A Giants Inter

Alibaba chief Jack Ma, reportedly the richest man in China, is preparing an offer to buy Erick Thohir's 31% stake in Inter.

Thohir's share is reportedly valued at around €150m and Ma, along with business partner David Yu, are looking to sanction the deal through Yunfeng Capital - a Hong Kong-based fund the two created. Thohir stepped down as Inter's president in October, and it has long been rumoured that the Indonesian is looking to sell his stake in the club.

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Football Italia, via Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport, also report that Ma's interest in Inter is likely linked to his 20% ownership of Chinese retailer Suning. That's because Suning owns 68.55% of the club.

Inter fans will be hoping that a possible change of ownership leads to greater investment into the club as I Nerazzurriseek to return to their former glory. Whilst Inter are currently third in Serie A and on track to qualify for the Champions League, it's looking like another year without any silverware.

Since the remarkable 2009/10 season under the management of José Mourinho, when Inter won the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia, the famous Italian club have failed to win a single Serie A title.

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Perhaps an even more damning statistic for Inter is that the only trophy they have won since that treble-winning season came in 2010/11 as they won the Coppa Italia.