Aliko Dangote wants to buy Arsenal and sack Wenger

Nigeria and Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote says he is planning a bid to take over Arsenal football club -- and that his first move as owner would be to fire long serving manager, Arsene Wenger.

Dangote made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday and revealed that he is planning to make an offer to majority owner Stan Kroenke, who has a 67.05% stake in the club, and Alisher Usmanov, who owns 30.04% of the club, once the construction of a new oil refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, is completed.

If they get the right offer, I’m sure they would walk away. Someone will give them an offer that will make them seriously consider walking away. And when we finish the refinery, I think we will be in a position to do that," Dangote said.

 The first thing I would change is the coach, Dangote was quoted as saying.

He has done a good job, but someone else should also try his luck, he added.

Dangote, 60, who is worth $12.5 billion (£9.7 billion) and owns Dangote Group, a multinational conglomerate and currently constructing an $11 billion (£8.5 billion) oil refinery in Lagos, Nigeria has coveted the club since becoming a supporter in the mid-1980s.

Wenger who is is Europe’s longest-serving manager was handed a new two-year contract as manager at the end of last season despite a turbulent campaign that saw Arsenal finish fifth in the Premier League and has led the Gunners to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies since his appointment in 1996.

According to Forbes, Dangote has a net worth of nearly $13 billion -- considerably more than Kroenke's $7.5bn. 

Kroenke resisted a takeover offer in May when Arsenal's second-biggest investor, Usmanov, tested Kroenke with a $1.3 billion (£1 billion) bid.