Chinese electronics retailer Suning officially confirmed on Tuesday (28th June) that they had bought a large stake in Italian football club Inter Milan - in the highest-profile takeover so far of a European team by a Chinese firm.

SOUNDBITE (English): Michael Bolingbroke, Inter CEO:
(On the commercial future of Serie A)

"I think our league is at a crossroads right now, and I think you are right to say that. The (English) Premier League developed a product and they took that product and they sold it, and they sold it very well. Serie A needs to to the same thing, and if they do not do that, then the Bundesliga (German domestic league) and La Liga (Spanish domestic league) are just behind them, and the deals that the Bundesliga and La Liga are closing right now for the next cycles are better than the current deals that Serie A has. So Serie A is at a crossroads and it needs to look at the deal we are doing with Suning and realise that this is the way forward. To act globally, do deals that are global, but remain local and remain in touch with your local fans, is what we need to do."

SOUNDBITE (English): Erick Thohir, Inter Milan president:

"Suning have the platform, Suning have the shops, not only for Inter and if Serie A want to be present in China, please. So I think it's very interesting to see what's going on in Serie A in the next couple of months, to see if all the clubs are open-minded or close-minded. I think it's a challenge."