Bloomberg Línea — Investor Marcelo Claure, former COO of SoftBank, is in talks to acquire Millicom Celular, a Luxembourg-based telecommunications company that, in Latin America, operates the Tigo brand.
The news was confirmed by the board of directors of Millicom International Cellular to Bloomberg News, however, the board added there is no certainty that a transaction will materialize, and the terms, timing or form of any potential transaction have yet to be defined.
The deal could value Millicom at nearly $10 billion, including debt, and would involve Apollo Global Management, according to the report.
Bloomberg Línea reached out to Apollo, Claure and Millicom, but has yet to receive a response.
Claure, who left SoftBank a year ago, was laying the groundwork for investing in Latin America with his own capital. Last year, he became a private investor in fintech Credix in an $11.6 million Series A round.
In an interview with Bloomberg Línea in May 2022, Claure said he was preparing to return to making investments in Latin America through his family office, the Claure Group. He said he intended to invest in companies in the areas of real estate, technology, gaming, blockchain, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and public and private companies, from the seed stage to more established ones.
Claure, a cryptocurrency enthusiast, is among Genesis’ creditors. The Winklevoss brothers’ cryptocurrency platform, which filed for court protection from creditors, owes Claure Group LLC $45.9 million, according to Bloomberg News.