#American #flag
Info RMC Sport – The soap opera around the takeover of OL advances: there are now three (American) offers remaining out of the five received by the club. It is about buying back 40% of the capital. Jean-Michel Aulas will remain in charge.
The file on the acquisition of OL is still ongoing and the options are being refined. According to our information, the Lyon club has received five offers. There are three left in the race today, all Americans. It is about the purchase of 40% of the capital of Olympique Lyonnais: the shares of Pathé and IDG, for sale from March 8 and the placing on the market, by means of a press release, by these two reference shareholders of their respective shares (19.36 for Pathé and 19.85 for IDG). With a great economic offer that will allow Lyon to enjoy a great margin of maneuver for its future investments.
Gillett is not on pole
Among the three offers would be that of Foster Gillett, although this option is not on pole. Originally from Colorado, the 45-year-old is the son of George Gillett, owner of Liverpool between 2007 and October 2010. During this period, Foster Gillett served as manager of the English club. The family had sold its shares in October 2010 after disagreements with other shareholders. He was also the general manager of Booth Creek Management Corporation in Colorado, a company that manages ski resorts, and was also involved with a NASCAR team, Richard Petty Motorsports, until 2010. A few months ago, Gillett was also in talks with the owners. . from Derby County to take control of the club, which has just been relegated to League One (British third division).
An American pension fund, close to the world of basketball and the NBA, is very interested in the presence of Tony Parker in OL. This offer would be very well placed compared to the others. Negotiations are underway and the process promises to be quite long.
A name leaked regularly for a few days: John Textor. He had also confirmed, on the “Outside the pitch” podcast, that he wanted to expand his network from Botafogo and Molenbeek or Crystal Palace. Not to mention OL, all eyes were on this club. He made a good tour of the stadium.
Classrooms will not go
Jean-Michel Aulas, the boss of Olympique Lyonnais, is currently on the move. And he himself admitted it during a meeting of the Professional Football League by videoconference, justifying his physical absence by the fact that he is in “the final phase of the sale of club shares.” The current president of OL will not leave once the file is closed. Legally, Jean-Michel Aulas is required to remain in office for between four and seven years.
The amount of the transaction is not known at this time. We can imagine that the sums involved are considerable since in 2016, when the Chinese group IDG bought 20% of the club against a check of 100 million euros, the OL Group’s valuation amounted to 500 million.
A priority in negotiating the future governance, Jean-Michel Aulas has always had in mind to carry out the same operation as in 1999, when the Pathé group entered the club for 100 million francs, leaving power to whoever took over OL in the second division in 1987. The whole point of the current negotiations is to bring in fresh money while retaining control. Since that date, the group is owned 27.72% by Holnest, the family office of Jean Michel Aulas, 19.36% by Pathé and 19.86% by IDG. More than 33% are distributed among small shareholders, not counting other smaller holdings of historical Lyonnaise personalities.
An attractive global project for an American businessman
The club certainly suffered from the pandemic and hired an important PGE, but its material assets (Groupama Stadium, Décines training center, Academy located in Meyzieu and related trade, women’s soccer franchise in the US with OL Reign, participation in the masculine and feminine ASVEL…) is growing, in particular with the future LDLC Arena, whose financing was recently committed. With its recurring revenue in terms of concerts, ASVEL Euroleague games and “esports” gatherings, OL is attractive to an American entrepreneur with a recurring sports and entertainment business. Not to mention the seminars. If, at first, the sale concerns almost 40% of the “historical” shares of Pathé and IDG, then it could become more important and exceed 50%. The club, for its part, refuses to comment.