Eagle Football Holdings is exploring selling its 45 per cent stake in Crystal Palace, in a move that could have repercussions for the direction of the club as well as the Premier League.
Internal talks on the prospect deepened over the last two weeks, although they are still at an early stage and no formal negotiations with outside parties have yet begun.
Should group chairman John Textor ultimately decide to sell the stake, which is the direction of talks right now, it could lead to wider changes. Early soundings have indicated that most buyers would only consider the move if they could take majority control of Crystal Palace, and that would almost certainly mean buying out Steve Parish’s 10 per cent stake, due to his outsized voting rights.
Parish has long been the figurehead of the club but also the leading voice among “the other 13” in the Premier League, standing up to the most powerful clubs over key decisions about the game’s future. He is one of the most influential figures involved in the Premier League, and any such move at Palace could bring a huge change in the dynamics.
It would also be an increasingly rare chance to buy a stake in what is now a Premier League fixture, with interest from private equity groups currently at a peak due to the competition’s huge global popularity.
For now, the prospective sale is only at a formative stage. No bank has yet been mandated to begin the process. The idea has been discussed enough that it has been spread to potential buyers, though.
As well as the stake in Palace, Eagle Football Holdings also owns Botafogo, FC Florida, RWD Molenbeek and Olympique Lyonnais.
The group has been contacted for a response. Crystal Palace declined to comment.
