Blackpool owner looking to sell Seasiders with early talks taking place - reports

The Financial Times state the Segantii Capital Management founder is looking to part ways with the Fylde Coast outfit while he fights to clear his name after being charged with insider trading by the Hong Kong authorities last year.

It is claimed Sadler has held preliminary conversations with at least one possible buyer and the EFL, with early-stage discussions taking place with people linked to Singapore-based investor Henry Teh.

The boyhood Seasiders fan has owned Blackpool since 2019, and oversaw their promotion to the Championship in 2021.

After two years in the second division, the club were relegated back to League One - where they currently remain.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), an independent regulatory body linked to the government, started criminal proceedings against Segantii, Mr Sadler and former trader Daniel La Rocca on suspicion of insider dealing in the shares of a Hong Kong-listed company before a block trade in June 2017.

Back in June, the case was transferred to a higher court in Hong Kong, with The Eastern Magistrates' Court approving the prosecution’s request to move the case to a district court, with the trial due to start in May 2026.

A statement at the time read: “We have been made aware of a charge brought in Hong Kong against the club's owner Simon Sadler which is entirely unrelated to the club and its operations.

“It will remain business as usual for our day-to-day operations. We understand that Mr Sadler will vigorously defend himself against the charge and there will be no further comments at this time from the club.”