Bale eyes Plymouth Argyle takeover

Former Real Madrid and Wales footballer Gareth Bale has become part of a US-based private equity group’s attempt to take over EFL League One club Plymouth Argyle.

Talks with the private equity firm are said to be at an early stage, with the group reportedly including members of the American-based Storch family.

Bale’s potential involvement follows a trend of US groups increasingly looking to partner with famous faces to add glamour to club purchases beneath England’s top tier. This trend has seen former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric become part of the group that acquired control of Swansea, NFL great Tom Brady become a co-owner at Birmingham City, and American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas buy shares in Leeds United.

Wrexham have also generated huge amounts of revenue from publicity attached to their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Argyle chairman Simon Hallett has been looking for fresh investment in the club for at least a year. Hallett, who first invested in the club in 2016 and became majority shareholder two years later, had previously agreed in principle to sell a stake in the club to new investors, but he confirmed last month a deal fell through.

Plymouth were relegated to the third-tier of English men’s football last season after a return to the Championship, finishing 23rd.

It is not known what role, if any, five-time Champions League winner Bale will have at Plymouth should the planned takeover succeed. The former Southampton and Tottenham man, 35, retired from playing in 2023.

The Bale-fronted takeover emerges after Hallett announced a previous investment proposal had fallen through.

Simon Hallett, Argyle Chairman, said, “We have been in talks with a prospective new investor in our club for over a year – those talks led to an application for approval of that investment being lodged with the EFL in February. Unfortunately, negotiations have taken too long and the key information that both we and the EFL required to complete the deal has not been forthcoming. I no longer believe that news of the new investor is imminent.”

Hallett also said he and the club’s existing shareholders – Argyle Green and the Holliday family – will match the level of funding they had planned with the new investor for this season, a level he says is twice the budget the club had when they won League One in 2023.