Sergio Ramos on cusp of spearheading €450m American takeover of Sevilla

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Sergio Ramos is leading a €450 million takeover of his former club, Sevilla, that is expected to be concluded soon.

The World Cup winner, in partnership with American investment company Five Eleven Capital, has convinced the current owners to sell the majority of their shares in the Spanish giants.

Diario AS reports that positive discussions took place at club offices on Monday and that all parties are now simply awaiting contracts to be signed after the High Court for Sport gave their blessing on the deal.

Since signing a declaration of intent in January, Ramos and Five Eleven Capital have been conducting due diligence and negotiating a final price to acquire a majority shareholding. This process marks a significant step toward a change in ownership, with both parties currently finalising the specific terms of the buyout.

The proposed deal includes a strategic share issuance intended to inject between €80 million and €100 million into the club. This capital influx is designed to stabilise the financial situation at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and provide much-needed liquidity.

Beyond immediate debt relief, the investment is expected to significantly raise the club's official salary limit. By improving these financial metrics, the new owners aim to provide the resources necessary for increased squad investment during the next transfer window.

Sevilla have struggled on the pitch this season and a major reason for the delay in the takeover since January is that the investors were concerned about a possible relegation for Los Nervionenses. On Friday, the club took a big step towards avoiding the drop with a 2-1 win over Espanyol that put them on 40 points.

However, things are extremely tight in the bottom half of the table and just three points separate Sevilla in 13th and Alaves in 18th. It seems Ramos and the investment firm are confident in safety enough to press ahead with the buyout.

Ramos started his professional career with Sevilla and was in the youth set-up between 1996 and 2003 before playing for the B squad and eventually the senior side in 2004.

He subsequently moved to Real Madrid and became one of the mos celebrated centre-backs of his generation but his career saw him return to Sevilla for a one-season stint in 2023, before moving to Mexico.

Asked about the potential takeover, Ramos said in April: "I think there will be some news in a few months, or even weeks, and we hope it will be the news we're all hoping for. Everything is going well."

There are rumours that he could replace the current club president, Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco.

As Sevilla have dropped in prominence on and off the pitch over the last four or five years, the fans have turned against the current ownership, with regular protests demanding that Carrasco be replaced.