Everything Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown said about selling the club in frank interview

Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown joined BBC Radio Bristol on Saturday prior to their 3-2 defeat to Sunderland.

The 69-year-old spoke on all things transfers and parachute payments and also gave insight into his potential departure from the club.

Lansdown became chairman of the club in 2002 when he took over from John Laycock and went onto see the side reach the play-offs three times and also seal automatic promotion to the Championship twice.

After stepping down as chairman in 2011, Lansdown has remained as the club owner ever since and has continued to pump money into the club in all areas, including a £45 million redevlopment of Ashton Gate.

However, after 30 years with Bristol City he has now suggested the club needs freshening up.

Here is everything Lansdown said about selling the football club on BBC Radio Bristol...

Are you still happy to retain full ownership?

SL: “I think I said last year that we are looking for further investors to come in and as I said, I’m not getting any younger.

“I’ve been involved with the club for over 25 years now and I have invested a lot of money into the football club but it needs another injection - some fresh blood and fresh ideas to push it forward. I’m not just going to bring in any person but we are looking. We have put the information in place so people can assess what we have got if they want to be part of wht we are doing.”

Would you sell the club?

“I would, yes - if it’s the right deal. I’m not looking to sell the club, I’m looking for people to come in and invest but someone might want to come in and do the whole thing and then that would be another discussion. I’m 70 this month and we can’t keep on doing it forever.”

How much would people have to invest to join the boardroom?

“We’re not looking for a million or anything like that. It would have to be tens of millions that someone would put in. It’s got to be the right number - we’re looking for serious investment.

“We’ve got aims to be in the Premiership and be a top club in the country over a period of time and I can’t tell you what the club is worth but people have to assess that and put the money in.”

What would they have to put in to take full control of the club?

“I’m not putting a figure on that because you have to remmber this is all part of the Bristol Sport Group and there’s the rugby club involved and the stadium involved. If you break it down into the components there’s lots of value added there so we’re looking at it in that situation.

“We have had people talking to us, we’ve got no offers on the table and I don’t expect any in the short term but we’re talking to lots of different people.”

“I think it has to be and we’re not the only club doing it, of course.”