I have plans to buy Arsenal 'within four years'- Aliko Dangote

Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote has reiterated his intention to buy Arsenal, but insists any takeover will take "three to four years".

The 59-year-old, a lifelong Arsenal fan who has a net worth of $16.7bn (£12.86bn) has previously stated his plans to purchase the Premier League club, but will wait for gas and oil investments to develop before focusing his efforts on North London. 

"Maybe three to four years," he told Bloomberg TV. "The issue is that we have more challenging headwinds. I need to get those out the way first and start having tailwinds. Then I'll focus on this. It's not about buying Arsenal and just continuing with business as usual.

"It's about buying Arsenal and turning it around. I've run a very successful business and I think I can also run a very successful team. Right now, with what we're facing, over $20bn of projects, I cannot do both."

Dangote believes his success in the business world, despite the loss of $4.4bn this year due largely to the depreciation of Nigeria’s currency, proves he is the right man to transform Arsenal’s fortunes, after years of relative stagnation under Kroenke and manager Arsene Wenger.