Madrid denies €1bn buy-out

Madrid - Real Madrid has denied that Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour made a €1 billion ($1.44 million) offer to buy the Spanish club.

Madrid said on its website on Tuesday that the "so-called interest and the existence of any offer to acquire Real Madrid are false."

A Spanish newspaper reported on Sunday that Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan had made the offer to president Florentino Perez and that discussions would take place next week.

Madrid is one of four clubs in the Spanish league that is owned by its members and not by a private entity. The others are Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna.

Sheikh Mansour is also president of Abu Dhabi's Al Jazira Club, which has had a twinning agreement with Madrid since 2005.