Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen is reportedly considering investing in Dundee United.
Reports in his homeland suggest the fashion tycoon, estimated to be worth around £7 billion, is interested in adding the Terrors to his stable of clubs.
Povlsen, 51, is considered to be the richest man in Scotland due to his ownership of acres of land across the Highlands.
But who exactly is the publicity-shy businessman?
Early life
Anders Holch Povlsen was born in November 1972 to dad Troels and mum Merete.
Three years later, his parents founded clothing retailer Bestseller in the small Danish town of Ringkøbing.
It initially sold women’s clothing before branching out to children’s clothing and menswear in the 1980s.
Povlsen studied at the Herning Business College, graduating in 1990.
He then went on to receive a joint BA in European Business Administration from the Berlin School of Economics and Anglia Ruskin University six years later.
How did he make his fortune?
Povlsen was handed control of the family business aged 28.
And he is now the sole owner of Bestseller, which sells apparel under 11 brand names, including Jack & Jones, Only and Vero Moda.
He also has significant stakes in fashion giant ASOS, online grocery store Nemlig and payments company Klarna.
In 2021 it was reported he gave his employees one month of wages as a bonus after profits at his clothing company jumped to a record.
He is among the richest people in the United Kingdom and was ranked at number 24 in this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.
Three years ago, he told The Strathspey and Badenoch Herald: “I don’t like to be on these lists at all.”
And he added: “It’s not about money. Real success is measured very differently.”
Earlier this year, the Highland hospitality and estates firm owned by Povlsen posted pre-tax losses of £9.3m.
Highland estates
In 2006, the Danish tycoon bought the 42,000-acre Glenfeshie estate in the Cairngorms for £8m.
Almost two decades later, he and his wife Anne now own around 220,000 acres across 13 estates, making them Scotland’s biggest private landowners.
In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2020, Povlsen spoke of his ambitious 200-year plan to ‘rewild’ Scotland.
This would allow native woodland and species to regenerate and flourish across northern Scotland.
He told the newspaper: “This land moves me — it motivates me.
“Here in Scotland it feels like we are at the vanguard of something.”
He added: “I am not going to pretend it was easy when I first started here in Scotland.
“But today the locals here are less suspicious of our motivation. They know we are trying to deliver something to protect the land.
“Wildland, which manages our estates, is a business registered in Scotland.
“I am being taxed in the UK and Denmark for our Scottish estates.
“There will always be doubters, of course, but the truth is we are here for the long run and the right reasons.”
What experience does he have in football?
Povlsen already owns Danish champions FC Midtjylland, having bought them last year.
In January, the players spent three days camping in Glenfeshie Estate as part of a team-building exercise.
The estate is owned by Povlsen and the experience was documented on their YouTube channel and Danish television.
The club is part of his “Football Collective” which includes Portuguese second tier side CD Mafra, Nigerian talent academy FC Ebedei and Danish lower league side FC Fredericia.
Earlier this month, it was reported Povlsen had held talks with crisis-hit Highland outfit Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Family tragedy
In April 2019, Povlsen lost three of his children in the Easter Sunday terrorist attack in Sri Lanka.
His two daughters, Agnes, 12, and Alma, 15, and his five-year-old son Alfred, were among 253 people killed in a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels.
Following the tragedy, the family thanked the Highland public for “the condolences, sympathy and many warming thoughts” they received.
In our sister title The Press and Journal, Povlsen added: “The Scottish Highlands has granted us abiding, special memories for our family.
“It is for this reason that the many words of comfort have fortified us and touched our hearts.”
Conversation