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Premier League takeover would be 'enormous stupidity' - Red Bull founder

Red Bull will not be taking over a Premier League side, the company's founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, has told Salzburger Nachrichten.

The Austrian energy drink and marketing company has been linked with making a move for a side in England, and earlier this month it played down suggestions West Ham United were of interest.

Regarding a possible takeover in England, Mateschitz, whose business has also been linked with Nottingham Forest, said: "There is nothing to it.

"That's not even idle speculation. It moreover would be an enormous stupidity to think about an addition in England after a successful involvement at Leipzig.

"That would be wrong from a sporting perspective. To mix everything together would at one point also not be in accordance with UEFA regulations."

Earlier in January, Red Bull's global head of football, Oliver Mintzlaff, told kicker the company has done its "homework regarding financial fair play" and will not run into problems with UEFA because of its involvement at Salzburg, who have "a different and completely independent setup."

In recent years, Salzburg have sold several of their players to RB Leipzig, with the latest additions last summer and this winter being Naby Keita, Bernardo, Benno Schmitz and Dayot Upamecano for whom they paid a reported total of €32 million.

Mateschitz founded Red Bull as a soft drink company in 1984, and soon also became involved in sports marketing.

The Austrian company, of which Mateschitz owns 49 percent through the Red Bull Distribution & Marketing GmbH, does not only sell drinks but is also the owner of several racing, ice hockey and football teams, a sponsor in several other sports and through the Red Bull Media House GmbH also the owner of an Austria-based TV station, Servus TV.

In football, the company owns two clubs in Austria, FC Salzburg and FC Liefering, one in the United States, New York Red Bulls, one in Brazil and one in Germany, RB Leipzig, whom they added in 2009.