Paris Saint-Germain Owners Have 'Launched Takeover Bid' For La Liga Club
Paris Saint-Germain's owners have reportedly tabled a bid for La Liga side Espanyol.
Chinese toy manufacturers Rastar Group have owned the Catalan club since 2016 and helped bring serious interest in the Asian country with the signing of China international We Lei, who was immediately responsible for the club's highest shirt sales.
But the club, who are rivals to Barcelona, have now been put up for sale by chairman Chen Yansheng.
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As per Radio Marca, PSG's Qatari owners are one of two potential buyers who have put in offers - the alternative being a group from North America.
Qatar Sports Investments have now been owners of PSG for over a decade having purchased the French side back in 2011.
With an overwhelming influx of funds that has allowed them to buy a slew of world-class players, the Parc des Princes outfit have dominated French football and won eight of the last ten Ligue One titles.
They have, however, failed to win the coveted Champions League, coming closest in 2020 when they were narrowly beaten in the final by Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
QSI are fronted by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is the chairman and CEO of the club in addition to fulfilling the same role at beIN Media.
The group have been linked with Serie A side Roma and Portuguese outfit Braga as they expansion in European football, but
the move would bring difficulty given UEFA's rules.
Should a purchase be successful, Espanyol would not be able to participate in UEFA competition while QSI still owned.
The Blanquiazules were in the Europa League two years back but finished 14th last term and recently got rid of their CEO, sporting director and manager.
PSG appear to be looking to follow the path of Manchester City's owners Abu Dhabi United Group, who have set up a network of clubs across the world.
They recently bought a majority stake in Italian side Palermo, who became the 10th club to be associated to the City Football Group.
Other members of the CFG include Troyes (France), Girona (Spain), Melbourne City (Australia), Lommel (Belgium), Montevideo City Torque (Uruguay), New York City (United States), Mumbai City (India), Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) and Sichuan Jiuniu (China).
Josh Lawless