Over 50% of EPL clubs to have U.S. investment if Bournemouth deal goes through
The United States' influence over the English Premier League could grow further amid reports that Bill Foley, owner of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, is in talks to buy newly promoted Bournemouth.
The potential deal is worth around £150 million, according to The Guardian's Ed Aarons. If the takeover is completed, more than half of the Premier League's clubs will have minority or majority shareholders hailing from the States.
Bournemouth owner Maxim Demin, who was born in Russia but is a British citizen, reportedly started exclusive negotiations with Foley over a sale last week. Demin has been the sole shareholder at Bournemouth since 2019 after initially purchasing a 50% stake in 2011 when the club was in the third tier.
The Las Vegas-based consortium hopes to complete its takeover of Bournemouth by the end of October, BBC Sport's Ian Dennis reports.
Foley, who is also chairman of insurance company Fidelity National Financial and investment company Cannae Holdings, said in June that he planned to invest in compatriot John Textor's attempted takeover of Lyon. That drawn-out deal for the Ligue 1 outfit is still expected to go through, sources told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. Textor is currently a co-owner of Crystal Palace - a club playing its 10th consecutive season in the Premier League - and the majority shareholder of Brazilian club Botafogo.
An American group purchased Chelsea in June in a deal reportedly worth £4.25 billion, which represents a world record for a sports team. Co-owner Todd Boehly, who also has stakes in Los Angeles-based sports franchises, soon made his imprint on English football by spending over £260 million in the summer transfer window and sacking Champions League-winning head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Fulham, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and West Ham United also have U.S. investment on some scale. The most high-profile shareholders in that list include Arsenal's Stan Kroenke (who also owns the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, and other franchises), Liverpool's John W. Henry (Boston Red Sox), and the Glazer family (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at Manchester United.