Park Bench back in talks to avert Girondins de Bordeaux liquidation | OneFootball

British fund Park Bench has returned to talks to buy Girondins de Bordeaux from Gérard Lopez, seeking to avert liquidation.

According to L'Équipe, club officials will be at Bordeaux’s commercial court at 17:00 on Thursday for an update on the negotiations.

On 5 September, two days after the FFF executive committee confirmed exclusion from national competitions, Park Bench said it would not proceed. Talks resumed the next day with Lopez.

Park Bench also aims to support the club even in Régional 1, but only under a different investment model and liquidity. It is now seeking to ease a continuation plan requiring €26m over 10 years.

One track targets Bordeaux Métropole over rent at Stade Atlantique, €3m across 10 years, plus stadium arrears for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. President Thomas Cazenave would be open to further efforts.

A second option would extend the plan beyond 24 June 2035, rarely granted by commerce courts. A third would buy Fortress’s €2.5m claim to remove a preferential creditor. The fourth tackles the labour case involving Vladimir Petkovic and Antonio Manicone, dismissed on 6 February 2022, who seek €15m and have appealed.

To limit that risk, Park Bench has tried to contact Petkovic with a settlement proposal. Aside from any deal, the first three moves need a major amendment to the plan, a request only Lopez can lodge. If this final attempt fails, liquidation of SA Girondins de Bordeaux would look inescapable.

Source: L'Équipe

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