Historic club of the French League Championship, AS Saint-Etienne should soon change owners.
Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer, the two shareholders, have indicated that they will sell the club.
The file was entrusted "to a reputable investment bank the mission of selecting the best investor".
"We will ensure that this new shareholder has the appropriate means to grow the club, guarantee employment and perpetuate its identity", continue the leaders in a column published by the daily La Tribune-Le Progrès broadcast in the Loire.
“Our club has the necessary weapons to embark on a new era.
Never denied, the attractiveness of ASSE transcends borders, ”they add.
The supporters and the mayor have recently put the pressure on
This announcement comes in a context of mistrust of groups of supporters who have been demanding for several weeks the departure of Caïazzo and Romeyer, at the head of the Saint-Etienne club since 2004 and 2006 respectively.
The mayor and president of the Metropolis of Saint-Etienne, Gaël Perdriau, also intervened recently by supporting the supporters' approach and wishing "a new lease of life at the head of the club".
The elected official said he was "disturbed by the vagueness surrounding the future of the club for years", inviting the two shareholders "to play cards on the table to position themselves on their future at the head of the club".
For the time being, the transfer value of the club is not mentioned by Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer who take refuge behind "the confidentiality" of the negotiations to come, nor the deadline at which this sale, synonymous with the signing of power, could be finalized.
In May 2018, the investment fund Peak 6 entered into exclusive negotiations with ASSE for the acquisition of the club, before the two parties decided to cease all discussions ten days later, when the deal seemed almost concluded. .
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