Sir David Beckham in talks to buy French club

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FT Desk

Sir David Beckham has been linked with a purchase of Ligue 2 side Nantes.

The French club have had a difficult few seasons, generally competing near the bottom of Ligue 1 rather than challenging for Europe. They finished 14th in 2023–24 and 13th in 2024–25, before a disastrous 2025–26 campaign saw them finish 18th and suffer relegation after 13 consecutive seasons in Ligue 1. They were also relegated in 2009 under the tenure of owner Waldemar Kita.

Nantes did win the Coupe de France in 2022 and reached another final in 2023, but they have struggled to build on those successes. Frequent managerial changes, inconsistent recruitment and financial pressures prevented sustained progress under Kita and his son – club CEO Franck.

The club isn't currently showing signs of an immediate bounce back to the top flight, either, as they have lost their first three Ligue 2 games of the campaign, which cost head coach Michel Der Zakarian his job.

French outlet Ouest France reports that Kita is open to a sale and that Nantes have received three takeover bid approaches recently.

Two of the bids are British-based and one is said to include Beckham, though it is unclear at this point whether he represents a consortium or is interested in an outright purchase himself.

The former England captain previously played in France for a short period with Paris Saint-Germain.

Inter Miami owner

Beckham, of course, is already a club owner and is enjoying plenty of success with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

His route to owning Inter Miami began when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007. As part of his contract, he negotiated an option to buy an MLS expansion franchise for a heavily discounted price and, after retiring, he partnered with businessmen including Jorge and José Mas and eventually secured the Miami franchise in 2018, with Inter Miami making their MLS debut in 2020. Beckham became one of the club’s co-owners and chairman.

The early years were difficult. Inter Miami struggled in their first seasons and failed to make the playoffs in 2023, finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference. However, everything changed when Lionel Messi joined in 2023. The Argentine immediately helped Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup, their first major trophy, before the club won the Supporters’ Shield in 2024.

The biggest achievement came in 2025, when Inter Miami won their first MLS Cup, beating Vancouver 3–1 in the final. This was particularly significant for Beckham because he became the first person to win the MLS Cup both as a player and an owner, having previously won it twice with LA Galaxy.