Lyon (AFP)
OL Groupe, the listed holding company that oversees Olympique Lyonnais, announced Monday the opening of exclusive negotiations to buy Reign FC, the American women's football team that includes superstar Megan Rapinoe in its ranks.
This investment "should help consolidate OL's place as a major player in women's football in the world," OL said in a statement.
It will also reinforce the development of the OL brand in the United States, one of the two international markets targeted by the Lyon group with China.
At the time of the presentation of the annual accounts of the OL, its president Jean-Michel Aulas had indicated to want to buy a "franchise" of women's football in the United States, without identifying what was its target.
Entering its eighth season in the US, Reign FC is playing at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, near Seattle, Washington, northwestern United States.
The amount of this acquisition has not been made public but Mr Aulas said it would be "in millions of euros". The operation, he said, will be financed by the group from its own funds, which implies a relatively modest amount.
OL's women's section dominates Europe's head and shoulders, which has allowed it to attract several American stars, such as Megan Rapinoe, who has worn the colors of Lyon for a season, or Alex Morgan.
In the United States, football is primarily a women's affair and the national team won this year ... in Lyon its fourth world title, with Rapinoe as captain, top scorer and best player of the tournament.
The National Championship, the National Women 's Soccer League (NWSL) is a closed league of nine teams of which Reign FC is a founding member. The club finished first twice in the regular season and was twice finalist of the playoffs (in 2014 and 2015).
The two sides aim to finalize the transaction before January 31 so that OL can be installed at the controls before the resumption of the 2020 championship, March 9.
© 2019 AFP