Rich Cullum refuses to rule out City investment

One of Britain's richest men has left the door ajar for a possible involvement in Norwich City Football Club.

The cash-strapped Canaries are desperate for a big injection of finances as they bid to drag themselves out of the Championship and into the promised land that is the Premier League.

Owners Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones have expressed their willingness to sell - but only to the "right" buyer.

And that could be insurance giant Peter Cullum, who has hinted that he may have a change of heart over a possible takeover at Carrow Road.

The 57-year-old insurance giant has previously denied any interest in moving into football, and Norwich City specifically, but in an interview with the Independent, he raised the prospect that he may, one day, ride to the rescue.

Asked whether he was tempted to invest in the club, he replied: "Never say never."

It is a very different from the reaction to the same question posed by the EDP last autumn.

A spokesman for his company, Towergate Partnership, said: "He is a loyal supporter of Norwich City. He is obviously concerned like any other Norwich supporter about recent performances. But he has no intention of buying the club."

Cullum, who was born in Norwich and played for his hometown club as a schoolboy, has amassed a personal fortune estimated at £1.7b, putting him at number 40 in the Sunday Times Rich List.

His business acumen and place of birth have combined to make him a regular link on the rumour mill, with suggestions last year that City's newest directors, Andrew and Sharon Turner, were his "fronts" at Carrow Road - a claim the pair denied.

However, he would appear to fit the requirements of Delia Smith who said she would be prepared to relinquish her control of the club, but would not consider selling to a foreign buyer.