Having failed in his attempt to buy his beloved Arsenal, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has now switched focus to buying French Ligue 2 side, Valenciennes.

Reports in France and Nigerian indicate that Africa’s richest man is close to buying a 60% stake in the French club.

Formed in 1913, Valenciennes is one of France’s traditional clubs and play their home games at the Stade du Hainaut.

The club have played 40 seasons in Ligue 1 and 36 seasons in Ligue 2.

The Athenians have never won the Ligue 1 title but have claimed the Ligue 2 title on two occasions.

They currently occupy the 15th position on the Ligue 2 table.

Aliko Dangote is the owner of the Dangote Group which is the largest business conglomerate in Africa.

He has been vocal about buying English side Arsenal and transforming the club to Champions League-winning status.

In September 2016, he stated that a takeover would be a question of timing rather than money.

"It's not about buying Arsenal and just continuing with business as usual," Dangote said. "It’s about buying Arsenal and turning it around. I've run a very successful business and I think I can also run a very successful team. Right now, with what we’re facing, over $20billion of projects, I cannot do both.

"There's no doubt [I'll buy Arsenal], it's not a problem of money.

"The issue is that we have more challenging headwinds. I need to get those out the way first and start having tailwinds. Then I'll focus on this."no doubt [I'll buy Arsenal], it's not a problem of money.


KPE