Crystal Palace owners explore sale as Raine begins process
Crystal Palace’s US shareholders are exploring a sale or fresh capital raise, with Raine Group appointed as the club consider ownership and stadium funding options following the exit of John Textor’s Eagle Football.
Crystal Palace’s American shareholders are exploring a potential sale of the Premier League club, according to the Financial Times, with investment bank Raine Group appointed to oversee the process.The owners are open to several options, including a full sale or a transaction that brings new capital into the club.Palace’s shareholder group includes New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, Apollo co-founder Josh Harris, former Blackstone executive David Blitzer and executive chairman Steve Parish.Johnson is the largest shareholder with a 43% stake, acquired from John Textor’s Eagle Football group in July 2025.Harris and Blitzer jointly control around 30%, while Parish owns approximately 10% and has led the club since rescuing them from administration in 2010.A sale of a controlling interest could attract a higher valuation than another minority transaction, while giving a new owner clearer authority over strategy and investment.Johnson bought Eagle Football’s stake in a deal reported at close to £190m, based on an overall Palace valuation of approximately £550m.That transaction ended Textor’s involvement at Selhurst Park after four years and removed Palace from Eagle Football’s multi-club portfolio.Eagle also owns interests in French club Olympique Lyonnais, Brazil’s Botafogo and Belgium’s RWD Molenbeek.Textor’s dual interests in Palace and Lyon became a significant governance issue after both clubs qualified for the same UEFA competition.Palace missed UEFA’s deadline to demonstrate compliance with its multi-club ownership rules and were moved from the Europa League into the Conference League, despite Textor arguing that Eagle did not exercise decisive control over the English club.Johnson’s purchase subsequently separated Palace from the Eagle network, but it did not reverse UEFA’s decision because the restructuring was completed after the relevant deadline.The latest process comes less than a year after that ownership change and during the most successful sporting period in Palace’s history.The club won their first major trophy by beating Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final and followed that success by defeating Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in May.Pierre Sage has since replaced Oliver Glasner as head coach after leading Lens to second place in Ligue 1 and winning the Coupe de France.Palace are also assessing how to finance the long-delayed redevelopment of Selhurst Park.Plans for a new Main Stand would increase stadium capacity by around 8,000 to more than 34,000 and add hospitality, commercial and matchday facilities.The project has been delayed repeatedly as projected construction costs have risen, leaving ownership and financing decisions closely connected.Fresh equity could help fund the redevelopment while supporting squad investment ahead of a second consecutive season in European competition.Palace reported a pre-tax profit of £8.3m on revenue of £196.6m in 2024–25 and were ranked 25th in Deloitte’s latest football revenue table.Raine has extensive experience in football transactions, including advising on the sales of Chelsea and Manchester United stakes, but neither the bank nor Palace have commented publicly on the process.