Bournemouth owner Maxim Demin is in advanced talks over the £150 million sale of the Premier League club to an American consortium.
The group is led by Bill Foley, who owns National Hockey League (NHL) franchise Vegas Golden Knights.
Demin has been the sole shareholder at Bournemouth since 2019 but has been eager to find potential investors or buyers.
Foley paid most of the $500 million expansion fee to secure a place in the NHL for the Golden Knights, who quickly established themselves as a major force.
They reached the finals of the Stanley Cup in their first season and have progressed to the play-offs in each of their first four years in existence.
Foley’s group recently attempted to buy a stake in Ligue 1 giants Lyon and is clearly intent on moving into European football.
The consortium’s potential acquisition of Bournemouth could be considered surprising given the club’s status in English football.
The Cherries regained their place in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season, but the club does not have the infrastructure to survive in the top flight.
Their current stadium capacity is just above 11,000, and they do not have the fanbase to support a Premier League club.
Their summer transfer business highlighted the challenges they face, with Marcos Senesi and Marcus Tavernier the only players who arrived for a fee.
Free transfers for Joe Rothwell, Ryan Fredericks and Neto demonstrate that Bournemouth’s top-flight status is tenuous at best.
While Foley’s wealth allowed the Golden Knights to hit the ground running in the NHL, the same methodology is unlikely to work with Bournemouth.
While Las Vegas was widely viewed as a market where the NHL couldn’t work, it was still a city that had tremendous pull for top-class signings.
Bournemouth does not have the same attraction.
