Olympique Lyonnais is about to turn a page in its history.
As we have known for two months, Pathé and IDG are preparing to sell their shares in the Rhone club, which amount to 40% of the capital.
According to
RMC Sport
, five offers were made to OL, which retained three, all American.
One of them would come from Foster Gillett, former owner of Liverpool (2007-2010).
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Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
She would not be the best placed, preceded by “
an American pension fund close to the middle of NBA basketball
”.
That's good, Tony Parker is still close to OL.
The former glory of the San Antonio Spurs has been on the club's Board of Directors since 2020. In October 2021, Parker even opened the door to the idea of succeeding Jean-Michel Aulas, president of OL since 1987. “
Tony ticks just about all the boxes
,” Aulas judged in our columns, in February 2020.
OL need money to revive sportingly
However, this sale of club shares will not call into question the place of Aulas (73) at OL, assures RMC Sport.
Anyway, the historic Rhone leader is "
legally obliged to remain in charge between four and seven years
" once the sale has taken place.
He will therefore keep control of the daily management of the 8th in Ligue 1, deprived of the European Cup next season and in great need of fresh money to regain his ambition.
Read also“It is in your interest to keep the club otherwise you will be smoked”: the threat that decided Dupraz to leave Saint-Etienne
We do not yet know how much the shares of Pathé and IDG will be sold for.
RMC Sport recalls, however, that IDG had spent €100m to buy 20% of OL's capital in 2016. These negotiations did not prevent the club from being active in the transfer window: goalkeeper Anthony Lopes extended his contract this Tuesday until 2025, and striker Alexandre Lacazette, out of contract at Arsenal, should return to the fold.
A press conference will be held this Thursday morning, presumably to present Lacazette to the press.