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Canadian businessman Jack Kachkar moves closer to buying Olympique Marseille
| quote: | MARSEILLE, France (AFP) - Canadian businessman Jack Kachkar has provided the financial guarantees to buy Marseille, the French club said Tuesday.
The pharmaceuticals (Inyx Inc) magnate is looking to buy the 1993 European champions for about 130 million euros from owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus (Adidas), club president Pape Diouf said Tuesday.
Diouf said he has already met with the players to inform them of the potential sale.
Kachkar has given "the necessary financial guarantees to pursue further discussions regarding the sale of Marseille," the club said on its website.
Louis-Dreyfus has invested about 200 million euros (C$300 million) in the club, helping Marseille return to the first division in 1996 after it was relegated because of a match-fixing scandal.
However, no trophies followed and Louis-Dreyfus reportedly lost patience.
If successful, Kachkar reportedly wants former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to replace Albert Emon.
Diouf said the potential sale could "take several more weeks" and set out two conditions.
"The next owner must have the right capacities to ensure the club's future," Diouf said. "We are talking about a five-year plan. The second condition is to maintain the personnel and the directors."
Having met Tuesday with Louis-Dreyfus and Kachkar, Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin appears certain the sale will take place.
"Robert Louis-Dreyfus took the trouble of coming to see me himself to announce his departure, and to introduce me to his successor," Gaudin said. "As for Jack Kachkar, he assured me that he is no intention of changing anything at the club until the end of the season, unless there are bad results."
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