American investors in talks over West Bromwich Albion sale

With current owner Guochuan Lai hoping to sell before year’s end, West Bromwich Albion may seek an American owner.

There is mounting pressure for West Brom to find financial backing. The club’s financial woes are worsening. The Championship club failed to generate sufficient revenue via player sales during the summer transfer window.

Off-field issues at The Hawthorns are clear. Manager Carlos Corberan had little leeway to address them over the summer break. Despite having a release clause, Dara O’Shea transferred to Burnley for $8.6 million.

West Brom loaned a few players, notably Karlan Grant. But apart from those two events, no other significant players left. Now. the Baggies must wait until January for the transfer market to reopen. The club is under even more pressure to offload some of its players. In doing so, it can shore up its financial reserves.

O’Shea’s sale not enough

The club has undertaken preliminary talks with parties to take over. For example, investors in the United States and the Middle East have an interest in the club. Those talks are understood to be continuing, as reported by The Telegraph. 

Dara O’Shea’s departure in the summer helped balance the budget in the short term. Still, the report notes that further sales are likely if a buyout does not go through. To complete the takeover by the end of the year, the Championship club is in discussions with many possible purchasers.

Talks still underway for West Bromwich Albion with American investors

WBA Group director Xu Ke is in charge of the sale. Face-to-face meetings have started with a few potential buyers. The sale of West Brom has been advertised for $61 million to $73 million, but no interested parties have yet begun preliminary research.

Chinese-born Lai has chosen not to put any of his money into the club because he believes it should be financially independent. His fans are increasingly pressuring him to sell after he defaulted on a $6 million debt.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus