CHINA’S richest man has denied making a move to take over at Saints.

Wang Jianlin, the owner of Wanda Group, today rubbished speculation in English national newspapers over the weekend that he was launching a £175m takeover bid at St Mary’s.

In a statement his company, the Dalian Wanda Group, said: "Recently it was brought to Dalian Wanda Group's attention by a Sunday Mirror's report about Wanda’s acquisition of Southampton Football Club.

"We hereby clarify that: No individual from Wanda Group has ever been in contact with Southampton Football Club, nor has any individual or third party organization been appointed on behalf of the Wanda Group to engage in contact with Southampton regarding any matters related to the acquisition of Southampton football club.

"The Sunday Mirror's report is purely imaginary and completely inconsistent with the actual facts."

As reported by the Daily Echo, there are currently no takeover talks underway at Saints and none are expected in the near future.

This is the second time Wanda has denied a takeover of a football club in the last few months.

Last November, they denied reports they were keen to take over at Italian giants Roma.

Founded in 1988, the Dalian Wanda Group is a Chinese conglomerate company active in real estate, tourism, hotels and entertainment.

Since 2011, they have been a sponsor of the Chinese Football Association Super League.