It smacks of opportunism. With the national football team melting in front of our eyes here in the UK, and with sales of replica shirts and the like set to plummet as a result, someone has lobbed in a bid for Umbro, the sportswear firm best known for its – er – replica shirts.
And there’s no evidence of a Russian-Israeli conspiracy here; this is financial football with a stock that’s has been on the spot for months.
Indeed, as previewed earlier on Markets Live – a regular kick around here on FT Alphaville – there are two likely bidders: Adidas and/or sports retailing phenomenon Mike Ashley, founder of Sports Direct.
Shares in Umbro were trading 33p – higher at 153p mid-afternoon in London.
Here’s the statement.
Here’s the banter.
And here’s that picture.
Our early intelligence points to Adidas, but we’ll print more information when we’ve got it.