Snoop Dogg has spoken about his ambition to help change Swansea City in a “global name” after becoming a co-owner and investor at Championship club

The 54-year-old rapper took a minority stake in Swansea last July and has said his long-term aim is to help the club return to the Premier League by increasing its professional reach and revenue stream.

“I always wanted to invest in a soccer team,” Snoop Dogg Wells said online. “I want to be a real hand, I want to take the club in a direction it might not have been before.

“We want to take Swansea to the Premier League, and to do that we will need money – that is the reality of the game these days. I want to introduce sponsorship deals and publicity that will make them a global name.”

Despite selling over 30 million albums worldwide, Snoop Dogg has yet to attend a Swansea match in person.

His son, Cordell Broadus, represented the family in the directors’ box for the draw with Watford last August, while fellow co-owner Martha Stewart was present for the pre-Christmas match against Wrexham.

Swansea have indicated that Snoop Dogg is expected to attend a game at some stage this season, although no date has yet been confirmed.

“I really want to meet with the fans,” he said. “These fans are passionate, they’re real, and I want to hear what they have to say when I’m in Swansea.

“I knew I always wanted to invest in a soccer team – it’s been a dream of mine for years, just waiting for the right opportunity.”

Snoop Dogg joins an ownership group that already includes Real Madrid and Croatia legend Luka Modric, who became a co-owner last April, and American businesswoman Martha Stewart, who invested in December.

Swansea’s US-led ownership led by Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen believe the involvement of globally recognized figures will raise the club’s profile and help generate the revenue needed to once again compete at the top end of English football.