Gareth Bale linked to Plymouth Argyle takeover bid by US-based group
Behind the scenes talks are taking place between a US-based private equity group and Plymouth Argyle over a potential takeover of the Home Park club, The Telegraph has reported this afternoon.
The Telegraph have also stated former Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale has been lined up to front the move, which also includes members of the American-based Storch family. Bale's former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric became an investor and owner of another EFL club, Swansea City, in April.
Advertisement
A story co-written by Tom Morgan and John Percy said: "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.
READ MORE: Wrexham sign Plymouth Argyle striker Ryan Hardie on three-year contract
READ MORE: Plymouth Argyle confirm Austria training camp as part of pre-season
"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.
Advertisement
"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."
Plymouth Live has contacted Argyle this afternoon about The Telegraph's story but they have declined to comment.
Argyle majority owner and chairman Simon Hallett has been seeking additional investment into the club for some time and one deal recently through.
Hallett told Argyle supporters in a Chairman's Chat column on May 31: "As you know, 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.
Advertisement
"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.
"As a result, existing shareholders (I, Argyle Green and the Holliday family) will provide the funds to ensure that we stay on course with our plans.
"This means making funds available to ensure we have a competitive football budget to aim to return us to the Championship as soon as possible, as well as continued investment in Foulston Park. Our budget next season will be twice that we had the last time we were in League One.
"These additional funds equate to the same level of financial support that was written into the investor plan for year one."
Advertisement
He continued: "I completely understand that this will be very frustrating for fans, as it is extremely frustrating for me and the rest of the Argyle board. I have said constantly that my resources can enable us to be a sustainable Championship club, but that if we wish to aspire beyond that we would need new investment. I can provide some of that new investment, with the Holliday family and Argyle Green's help, but not all.
"While progress towards a transaction in its current form looks to have stalled, we will continue to explore alternative routes, including being open to revised terms with other investment groups.
It is important that we get the right investor, not the quickest investor, and this may take some time. We are committed to this, but in the meantime, current shareholders can (and will) support the club through its next stage of development."
Meanwhile, Sky Sports News reporter Anthony Joseph posted on X (Twitter) later this afternoon: "An American-backed consortium -fronted by former Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale - have held talks with Plymouth Argyle over a possible takeover. It's understood discussions have taken place between the consortium & #PAFC hierarchy, but have not gone any further at this stage."
Advertisement
Argyle chief executive officer Andrew Parkinson is set to meet the local media later this week at the introductory Press conference for new head coach Tom Cleverley. The topic of Bale's involvement in the reported takeover bid is sure to be asked about then.
You can read more of our Argyle stories from Plymouth Live by clicking HERE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Tuition increases, layoffs are coming to a broad set of universities
Students and employees from coast to coast are poised to feel the squeeze. Although the exact consequences will vary by school, administrators are warning that many students may have to pay more, professors may lose their jobs, programs could vanish, and support services could shrink. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The turmoil is not limited to any one type of university or college, or any one state. A day before Michigan State University trustees opted for tuition increases, a California State University campus minutes from the Pacific Ocean announced that it was trimming its workforce. Advertisement 'If you're a student or family looking to go to college this year, all of the numbers are going in the wrong direction,' said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, who described the mood among higher education leaders as 'dark but resolved.' The Trump administration's efforts to reduce research funding are siphoning cash from many campuses, sometimes by hundreds of millions of dollars. But that is just one factor contributing to higher education's financial crunch. Colleges, like businesses and households, are facing greater costs for wages, supplies, utilities, and other expenses. Advertisement Their income sources are not always keeping pace. In Nebraska, the state government's contribution to the university system will rise roughly 0.6 percent, far below the 3.5 percent increase that the Board of Regents had sought to account for inflation. But regents saw the increase as a modest victory. Governor Jim Pillen, a Republican who wanted the state to have 'the courage to say no, and to focus on needs, not wants,' had originally urged a 2 percent reduction. 'We will need to continue to reduce spending and make increasingly difficult choices to ensure fiscal discipline,' Jeffrey P. Gold, the University of Nebraska's president, told regents before a vote Thursday to impose cuts and increase tuition. Students who enroll at the flagship campus in Lincoln are poised to pay about 5 percent more. In neighboring Kansas, only one of the state's six public universities did not propose a tuition increase for the coming school year. And University of Oklahoma leaders just raised tuition again, too. The White House rejected accusations from some college administrators that the federal government is partly to blame for tuition increases and other budget moves. 'Any school that scapegoats the administration's policies of cutting waste, fraud and abuse to justify raising already astronomical tuition costs is failing American students in an effort to score political points and fatten its coffers,' Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. He added: 'If these higher education institutions were serious about lowering costs, they would cut the bloated salaries of their faculty and stop wasting money on useless programs that do little to advance education.' Advertisement Some schools are more reliant than others on federal money, especially research institutions, and leaders on many of those campuses have cited the administration's tactics as they have reworked their budgets. But public institutions are also sometimes facing significant resistance in statehouses, and recent rises in inflation have put new demands on campus finances. College leaders across the country have sometimes sought to defend new tuition increases by noting correctly that their prices had stayed relatively steady in recent years. Others point to the number of scholarships and grants they offer, which routinely drive costs well south of the sticker price, and say that many students are ultimately paying less than in the past. In Minnesota, students are set to pay more for less. State leaders maintained stable support for the University of Minnesota — a decision that university officials considered an effective budget cut, given inflation. And questions are swirling over how much additional declines in federal money could worsen the university's financial outlook. Tuition at the Twin Cities campus will rise by at least 6.5 percent. But the university is also pursuing cuts of 7 percent. Academic units have been asked to come up with millions of dollars in 'reallocations' that could lead to program changes and fewer materials in the Law Library, among other things. More than 350 jobs could be eliminated. 'Making these kinds of cuts here is new to us in Minnesota,' Rebecca Cunningham, the university's president, said during a board meeting Wednesday. 'It is unfortunate, but indeed we are not alone.' They are not. The University System of Maryland's chancellor, Jay A. Perman, bluntly told employees in a video this month that the schools would absorb a 7 percent cut for the coming fiscal year. Advertisement 'A 7 percent cut simply can't be achieved on every campus in a way that doesn't touch any of our people,' Perman said. Private universities often say far less about their finances than public institutions, but similar signs of immense strain are emerging. Duke University is seeking about $350 million in cuts, amounting to roughly 10 percent of its budget. Harvard University, which has clashed bitterly with the Trump administration, is urgently seeking contributions from donors and has been making cuts, partly because billions of dollars in its endowment have restricted uses. And in a statement Wednesday ominously titled 'a message on financial austerity,' leaders at Cornell, which also has a substantial endowment, described a dire landscape.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Walmart to pay $10 million to settle FTC fraud lawsuit over money transfers
Walmart WMT.N has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission civil lawsuit accusing the world's largest retailer of ignoring warning signs that fraudsters used its money transfer services to fleece consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The settlement was filed on Friday in Chicago federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge Manish Shah. Walmart also agreed not to process money transfers it suspects are fraudulent, or help sellers and telemarketers it believes are using its services to commit fraud. "Electronic money transfers are one of the most common ways that scammers tell consumers to send them money, because once it's sent, it's gone for good," said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC consumer protection bureau. "Companies that provide these services must train their employees to comply with the law and work to protect consumers." Average worker pay: Walmart reveals its highest paying job, excluding managers The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer did not admit or deny wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In its June 2022 complaint, the FTC accused Walmart of turning a blind eye to fraudsters who used its money transfer services to cash out at its stores. Walmart acts as an agent for money transfers by companies such as MoneyGram, Ria EEFT.O and Western Union WU.N. Money can be hard to trace once delivered. The FTC said fraudsters used many schemes that included impersonating Internal Revenue Service agents, impersonating family members who needed money from grandparents to avoid jail, and telling victims they won lotteries or sweepstakes but owed fees to collect their winnings. Shah dismissed part of the FTC case last July but let the regulator pursue the remainder. Walmart appealed from that decision. Friday's settlement would end the appeal. The case is Federal Trade Commission v Walmart Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 22-03372. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners predicted to land commitment from 2026 4-Star QB Bowe Bentley
Oklahoma insider @Josh_Scoop has logged an expert prediction for the Sooners to land elite QB Bowe Bentley⭕️Bentley ranks No. 41 NATL. (No. 5 QB) in the 2026 The Oklahoma Sooners quarterback situation in the 2026 recruiting class is beginning to gain some clarity. On Thursday night four-star quarterback Jaden O'Neal decommitted from the Sooners. And now, the Sooners have apparently taken the lead for four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley. Without a commitment date in sight, the Sooners are battling with Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers for one of the fastest-rising players in the 2026 cycle. Josh McCuistion, who covers recruiting for SoonerScoop and On3 (subscription required), issued a prediction favoring the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of this weekend's ChampU BBQ. It's the first prediction logged from any site for Bentley, who saw his recruitment take off after participating in the Navy All-American game in January. He has 20 Power Four offers, most of which came in the last six months. Bentley had a phenomenal junior season for Celina, throwing for 47 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 16 touchdowns in an undefeated, state championship season. Oklahoma offered Bentley on January 24 and have made him a priority over the last six months. He's drawn comparisons to new Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, and there's a lot to like about his dual-threat game. If the Sooners can lock up a commitment from the talented prospect out of Texas, they'll get one of the more prolific quarterbacks in the cycle. Bowe Bentley Recruiting Profile Bowe Bentley (@bowebentley) is one of the top QBs in the country, leading @RecruitCelinaFB to title No. 9 last season. Will the Bobcats be gracing the gatefold cover this year?We'll be revealing the 2025 gatefold cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football LIVE on Texas Football… Vitals Ratings Offers Per 247Sports Social Media 🙏🏼 Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
