AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is reportedly interested in acquiring a stake at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian.
The PA news agency revealed that the American billionaire, who also owns the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, is aiming to add Hibernian to his growing sports portfolio having months of interest in the club.
Foley confirmed his interest in acquiring a stake in an SPL club after revealing on the Men In Blazers podcast that he is “fascinated” by the league and its clubs.
He said: “I’m fascinated by the Scottish Premier League. They play hard, Scots are tough. They play a tough brand of football. And I believe there are opportunities to make one of the number four, five or six SPL teams, to get them to number three and they play in Europe.”
“I believe we can pull that off with not a gigantic investment – and be a minority investor, be supportive of that club, and then work on sponsorship together because we have a whole sponsorship and I know we can help an SPL team. We’re working towards that goal right now with a particular team.”
Hibernian’s current owners, the Gordon Family, have reiterated that their controlling stake in the club is not up for sale. However, they have recently explored the possibility of outside investment in the club.
Foley’s potential bid under the Gordon Family’s proposals could see the billionaire come on board with a non-controlling stake, and discussions have reportedly already taken place.
Having taken full control over Bournemouth last year, as well as owning French club FC Lorient, Foley is looking to follow the trending multi-club ownership strategy that has already seen fellow American billionaire Todd Boehly enact with Chelsea FC and RC Strasbourg.
He shared: “We have our sights set on some other clubs. And I believe we could end up with four or five economic interests in clubs. We would then have a system in place for players to advance and move on to the next club, then the next club.
“We will have similar analytics staff in place, and technical directors, to look for the right type of players who can ultimately play for AFC Bournemouth.”
