Salford deal gives Lim English football link
Peter Lim was once keen on buying Manchester United for real.
Whether or not he now has a 50 per cent stake in the next best thing is up for debate, but he does at least sit on a board with some of United's most illustrious names.
Lim's decision to take a 50 per cent stake in non-league outfit Salford City reduces the holdings of the Class of 92 to 10 per cent each and gives him a commanding voice in the boardroom.
But what's the aim?
Unfortunately, despite our efforts to contact them, neither Lim nor Salford City were available for comment.
For a club of their size, Salford are in good shape, unsurprisingly given the identity of their owners.
They are four points clear at the top of their division, having dropped just two points so far in seven games.
They boast an array of former Football League players including Jason Jarrett, who played almost 300 league games for a variety of clubs,
Simon Wiles, formerly of Blackpool, and striker Danny Webber who was on the fringe of the Manchester United first team while the Class of '92 were all still at the club.
But Salford City currently reside in the Evo-Stik First Division North, on the eighth rung of the English league ladder.
Promotion from there would take them to the Evo-Stik Premier Division with Manchester United splinter club FC United of Manchester.
Were they to settle quickly there and beat the likes of Blyth Spartans and Halesown Town, they would reach the wonderfully named Vanarama Conference North where former second-flight side Stockport City now play.
After that it's on to the Vanarama Conference, currently led by Barnet and Torquay, and then to the Football League.
Therefore, the earliest that Salford City could expect to play in League Two is 2018, shortly after the next World Cup.
The earliest they could play in the Premier League, should they complete seven successive promotions, would be 2021.
Lim, who has helped Singapore sport tremendously, has other interests in football as well.
And he is a firm believer of youth development, always willing to help an identified young talent blossom.
He also has the Singapore Olympic Foundation Peter Lim Scholarship that provides financial assistance to develop young athletes.
Lim has spent much of 2014 attempting to complete a takeover of stricken Spanish giants Valencia.
While it has been extensively reported that he has impressed and charmed the Spanish establishment, he is less than pleased with Bankia, the group that currently holds Valencia's debts.
FRUSTRATIONS
Just five days ago, there were reports that Lim's frustrations had seen him call a suspension to negotiations.
This is a takeover deal that should have been completed months ago and yet it continues to hang in the balance.
It is highly unlikely that he sees Salford as a direct replacement for Valencia.
The Spanish side are obviously a far more viable passage to the top.
Though they have fallen on hard times and are cataclysmically indebted, Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain.
The catchment area is enormous and support is well entrenched.
If Lim can settle the finances of this big Spanish outfit, who have strung some good results and moved up to second behind Barcelona in La Liga, they have a bright future.
So what is it that attracted him to this tiny non-league team?
Only he knows for sure, but we can certainly speculate. Manchester United are unsettled. The Glazers are spectacularly unpopular.
There is a strong chance that the club will finish outside of the Champions League places again this season, grievously affecting their revenues while their wage bill continues to rise.
That will scare the Glazers and leave them wondering if it might be time to abandon ship.
There have already been rumours that the Class of '92, aghast at the decay of their old club, would be interested in leading a takeover bid.
Even with their earnings, however, they lack the firepower to do it themselves.
But if they were attached to a larger bid, as fan-pleasing figureheads, then perhaps they could prevail.
Lim has always wanted an English club. He even tried to buy Liverpool in 2010.
But he is a Manchester United supporter at heart and that's the club he desires above all else.
He won't win the Premier League with Salford City, but that probably wasn't ever the plan anyway.
Perhaps this deal is simply an attempt to cement relations with the Class of '92, to do them a favour by improving their pet project.
And one day, perhaps not too far from now, that favour might just be called in…
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now