According to L’Équipe, Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer, Saint Étienne’s majority shareholders, are ready to sell the Ligue 2 club. The duo wanted to sell the club when they were playing in Ligue 1 in April 2021, but since their relegation have closed off the idea of selling ASSE.
Since Les Verts’ relegation to the French second tier, the club has been losing between €15 – €20m a season. The running of the club had been reliant on staying in Ligue 1 but following a second year in the second division, the owners have been forced to sell.
The sale of players like Denis Bouanga and Lucas Gourna-Douath helped raise €16m in funds following their relegation in 2022, but sellable assets are now limited, and the ability to generate cash has now ceased. Caïazzo and Romeyer once dreamed of selling Saint Étienne for €100m, following the sale of Nice to INEOS, but a price of €20m – €25m now looks more likely. KPMG has recommended that a sale be completed before the 31st of December.
GFFN | Liam Wraith
