Crystal Palace, Lyon Backer Seeking $200M in Funding

One of the backers of a Premier League club is exploring a major capital raise.

Eagle Football Holdings, which has a 40% stake in Crystal Palace, is considering raising $200 million and taking the company public, according to Bloomberg. There’s no timeline for when either could happen.

Led by American businessman John Textor, Eagle Football Holdings has a multiclub portfolio that also includes French club Lyon, Brazilian side Botafogo, NWSL club OL Reign, and Belgian side RWD Molenbeek. 

Last month, Textor was reportedly looking to raise $300 million for Lyon in order to aid various club projects in France. Earlier this year, reports had surfaced that Textor was exploring taking Lyon public via a SPAC merger at a $1.2 billion valuation, but those plans haven’t materialized.

Around The World

Soccer clubs worldwide are embracing institutional investors as the costs of operating business in professional sports continue to increase.

Chelsea just raised $500 million from investment firm Ares Management, Liverpool just sold a $200 million stake to New York-based private equity firm Dynasty Equity, and Everton was seeking a capital raise of nearly $200 million before eventually being sold to Florida-based 777 Partners for nearly $700 million.