Partick Thistle in line to hit jackpot as billionaires eye stunning takeover

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Partick Thistle are the target of a takeover by a wealthy international consortium
Sportsmail understands talks have been ongoing over recent months
There is optimism about a positive conclusion being reached

By Mark Wilson and John Mcgarry For The Scottish Daily Mail

Published: 19:14 EDT, 20 June 2019 | Updated: 19:14 EDT, 20 June 2019

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Partick Thistle are the target of a takeover move by a wealthy international consortium that already owns OGC Nice and Barnsley.

Sportsmail understands talks have been ongoing over recent months and there is optimism about a positive conclusion being reached.

Involving Chinese-American billionaire entrepreneur Chien Lee, founder of the NewCity Capital investment firm, the consortium have pinpointed Championship outfit Thistle as the next addition to their growing portfolio of clubs.

Partick Thistle are the target of a takeover move by a wealthy international consortium

Lee and American businessman Paul Conway are currently co-chairmen of English second-tier side Barnsley, which was bought in December 2017.

Lee, Conway and Chinese investor Alex Zheng also bought an 80-per-cent stake in Nice in June 2016. The French club achieved Champions League qualification at the end of the following season.

There is already a link between Thistle and Barnsley through the 2017 sale of Liam Lindsay, who is now set to complete a £2million switch to Stoke City. The Firhill side hold a sell-on clause for the 23-year-old centre-back - thought to be in the region of 20 per cent.

The consortium do not have a reputation as excessive spenders on transfer fees but have deployed 'big data' analytic methods to aid their recruitment of players.

Speaking after the finalising the deal to take control of Barnsley 18 months ago, Conway said: 'I think this is one of the best-run clubs in the country. We're just trying to bring that little extra push that helps this club to be successful.

'We're disciplined people. We're not going to do anything crazy but we believe year after year we can improve performance. We'll take our time.' The Thistle board presently consists of six directors - chair Jacqui Low, Malcolm Cannon, Ian Dodd, Michael Robertson, Duncan Smillie and former goalkeeper Alan Rough.

Chinese-American entrepreneur Chien Lee already owns Nice and Barnsley

Low, who joined the board four years ago and who became chair in 2018, made no mention of the proposed takeover in a detailed online address to supporters at the end of the season, saying only that the debt-free club had 'a need to create new income streams to create new funds'.

The club has benefited from the largesse of EuroMillions winners Colin and Christine Weir over the past four years, with close to £2m being invested in the academy.

The Weirs have also given their backing to the building of a new training ground in East Dunbartonshire but details on the project remain limited.

Relegated from the Premiership after losing to Livingston in the play-offs a year ago, the club parted company with manager Alan Archibald last October.

Former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell (above) took over and succeeded in preventing the club being relegated again.

It is not clear how the proposed takeover would affect the Weirs or Caldwell.

A Thistle spokesman told Sportsmail on Thursday night: 'It's business as usual for us.'