“We’ve told Ford that we are ready to make a financed offer for Volvo,” Jakob consortium CEO Peder Fast told the TT news agency.

The bid puts Jakob third in line among prospective buyers of Ford’s Swedish unit.

Currently, Chinese automaker Geely has preferred status as a negotiating partner with Ford, while the US-based Crown group has also indicated its interest in buying Volvo.

The mail sent from Jakob to Ford is a sign that the fight for Volvo is far from over.

“It was sent on Friday,” Fast told TT.

According to Fast, Jakob has enough financial backing to make a fully funded offer for Volvo. However, he refused to say what the terms of the financing were or in what countries Jakob’s financers are based.

Meanwhile, Ford offered no feedback on Jakob or the group’s bid.

“We’re focused on our negotiations with Geely, which have been singled out as our ‘preferred bidder’,” Ford Europe spokesperson John Gardiner told the magazine Ny Teknik.

“Therefore we can’t comment on other possible offers.”

Ford’s interest in considering an offer from Jakob is important to the Swedish consortium and is one of the reasons it relayed its interest to Volvo’s US-based owner.

“What’s important is that Ford is interested in considering our offer,” said Fast.

“It takes two to tango.”

Fast added that Jakob’s group of international backers very much wants to know whether or not Ford is interested in the consortium’s bid.