Thaksin was impressed by Old Trafford win

But he said it was up to owner Mohamed Al Fayed - and the Harrods owner has said he has "no intention" of selling the west London club.

Al Fayed has known Thaskin, a self-made billionaire, for several years.

"It is a sensitive issue, I phoned (Al Fayed) on Wednesay and that's it. I am still interested but it is his right to sell or not to sell ," Thaksin said.

"We think this team is interesting, we think the Premier League is interesting, we are interested in general."

Thaksin, who made his fortune in telecommunications before entering politics, said he was tempted after seeing Fulham beat Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford.

Al Fayed, the Cottagers' chairman and owner, quickly ruled out a sale of the club which he said he loved "passionately" and declared he would not even consider discussing offers.

Fulham confirmed that Al Fayed and Thaksin had met but that they only discussed a possible collaboration between Fulham and the Thai Football Association (TFA), not a sale.

Would you welcome a foreign investor with deep pockets? From Martin R Have your say on 606

Fulham's future has been shrouded in uncertainty since the club moved out of Craven Cottage, its base for 105 years, in May 2002.

The club hopes to return there next season, but has stressed that it is only a temporary measure and their long-term future lies elsewhere.

Plans for an all-seater stadium on the site have been scuppered by planning disputes and talks about a ground-share scheme with Chelsea broke down.