Nottingham Forest's East Midlands rivals Derby County have been the subject of a £1 million claim by the interviewer of George Clooney amid reported takeover interest.
Clooney confirmed previous suspicions that the 60-year-old held a soft spot for Derby in an interview earlier this week. Money Monster co-star and Derby-native Jack O'Connell was the driving force behind getting the Oscar-winner interested in the Rams.
The American actor addressed the club's "problems" in the interview with DerbyshireLife released this week. “Derby has a great football club with a fantastic history, and I am sure there is a great future too,” Clooney predicts. “I know that there have been problems in recent times, but nothing that cannot be fixed.”
READ: 'Ocean's Eleven Points' - Forest fans tease Derby over Clooney takeover link
Clooney also touched on the subject of football ownership and the potential possibility of entering it "maybe, one day". "My interest in soccer has certainly grown in recent years," the actor added, "and a few years ago, I was asked if I would like to be involved with a group of others looking to buy Malaga Football Club in Spain.
"It was quite an exciting prospect, but ultimately it fell through. Perhaps owning a football club is the next best thing to playing for one… Maybe, one day."
The Mail on Sunday have since spoken to Bernard Bale, who they say conducted the original interview with Clooney earlier this year. The veteran journalist and writer admits, while thinking the takeover reports were perhaps overblown, he "wouldn’t put it past" Clooney.
"Clooney is not short of money," Bale said, "he is a fun guy, he does love sport and he has followed Derby County for a number of years. It wouldn’t surprise me if just for the hell of it he said, 'Yeah, I’ll throw in £1 million' or however much it might be. He’s quite an off-the-wall guy."
