KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, crown prince of Johor said Friday (March 19) he is eyeing a stake in English Premier League side Manchester United, just weeks after triggering speculation of a takeover bid for Spanish club Valencia.

During a press conference, the 36-year-old said that he was "open to any shares in football in Europe".

He singled out Manchester United, adding that he knew there was an opening to invest in the club by buying a stake of three to five percent.

"Manchester United is a club which will take decades for its commercial value to go down," he said.

"In terms of sustainability they are superb. So that is why I will try to have a meeting."

Earlier this month, Tunku Ismail sparked speculation that was interested in buying Valencia with a series of Instagram posts.

He had said the club needed someone who is "hungry for success", adding that he was motivated by "creating history".

On Friday, he said only there were "pros and cons" of investing in Valencia, without going into detail.

Valencia are owned by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim. A source close to the club told The Straits Times earlier in March that Lim had no intention to sell.

Tunku Ismail already owns Malaysia's Johor Darul Takzim, who last year won their seventh straight Malaysian league title and inaugurated the 40,000-capacity Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.