Gareth Bale in talks to front US takeover of Plymouth
Gareth Bale has been lined up to front a US-based private equity group's potential takeover at Plymouth Argyle, Telegraph Sport understands.
His surprise involvement comes after a rival American investment group partnered with former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric at Swansea City.
Talks are taking place behind the scenes between Argyle and the investment group, which also includes members of the American-based Storch family.
Bale has no historic connections with Plymouth and his involvement as a co-owner had been unexpected. However, US groups have increasingly looked to partner with famous faces in recent years to add glamour to club purchases beneath England's top tier. Modric's arrival at Swansea came after the NFL great Tom Brady became a co-owner at Birmingham City. American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas also bought shares in Leeds United prior to their return to the Premier League.
Several sources close to talks confirm a US private equity group partnering with Bale is currently in talks over a bid for full control at Home Park.
Argyle chairman Simon Hallett has been looking for fresh investment in the club for at least a year. Hallett, who first invested in the Pilgrims 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.
Argyle were relegated from the Championship in May, having finished 23rd in the second tier. With head coach Miron Muslic joining German side Schalke, Hallett last week recruited former Watford boss Tom Cleverley as his replacement. The 35-year-old has signed a three-year contract as Argyle return to League One this season following two years in the Championship.
Cleverley was sacked by the Hornets in May, having missed out on the play-offs after a poor second half of the season as Watford faded badly to finish 14th.
The Bale-fronted takeover emerges after Hallett announced a previous investment proposal had fallen through. '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,' he said last month. '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 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.
Under Hallett's ownership, Argyle redeveloped the Mayflower Grandstand and are helping to fund new academy facilities at what was the Brickfields.
It is unclear how Bale, the most successful Welsh footballer of all time, has become involved in the proposed takeover but he played 12 times for Los Angeles FC before retiring from the game in 2023.
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