Ferrari and Juventus chairman John Elkann interested in acquiring Lyon, facing fierce competition | OneFootball

President of Ferrari and the Stellantis Group, US businessman John Elkann is reportedly interested in acquiring Olympique Lyonnais, according to the Italian daily Tuttosport.

An opportunity for the 49-year-old executive to further expand his influence in the world of sport, since he is also the majority shareholder of Juventus through his investment company Exor. Having learnt of the French club’s sale via a notice published last week in the Financial Times, Elkann is said to have wasted no time in embarking on this new venture.

However, should his interest come to fruition, he would be far from the only one to have expressed an interest in Eagle Football Holdings, which also owns Botafogo and RWDM Brussels. Gerry Cardinale, founder of RedBird Capital – which controls AC Milan and Toulouse FC, among others – is also said to be monitoring developments.

As are various other potential buyers, ranging from Apollo Global Management to Iconic Sports – which was already involved in John Textor’s takeover of OL in 2022 – and including the Qatari-Emirati sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani. Not to mention the investment fund Ares, including Michele Kang, the current president of Les Gones, who could decide to buy out Eagle’s shares and thus take full control of the club.

GFFN | Léo Aschi