The president of the Spanish football club Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, announced the possibility of selling a small stake in the club to external investors, reports the Financial Times, citing Perez's statements made on Sunday at the club's annual owners' meeting.
According to Perez, a vote on the first sale of a stake in the club's 123-year history could take place soon, with new investors needing to "respect our values, contribute to the club's growth, and help protect our heritage from external attacks." He estimated the stake at about 5%.
The structure of the deal involves the creation of a new legal entity that will be fully owned by the fans and club owners - the so-called "socios," whose number is around 100,000. Investors will be able to purchase a stake in this entity. Such a deal will help assess the market value of the legendary club, noted Perez.
Real Madrid, a multiple winner of La Liga and the Champions League, generated revenue of €1.1 billion last year - more than any other sports team in the world.
Earlier in November, it became known that the American investment firm Apollo acquired a stake in another Spanish team owned by socios - Atletico Madrid. The club was valued at €2.2 billion.
