Crystal Palace chief ‘sets price’ to sell stake as club sweat on Europa League fate

Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor is ready to offload his stake in the Londoners in order to ensure they are able to compete in the Europa League next season

John Textor is said to be prepared to sell his stake in Crystal Palace for less than market value in a bid to ensure that the FA Cup winners are able to compete in the Europa League next season.

The American, 59, holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace via Eagle Football Holdings but the company also holds a stake in Lyon, who have also qualified for Europe next term. Textor’s involvement at both clubs has led to scrutiny from UEFA, who are set to rule on whether or not the Eagles can feature in the competition later this month.

Textor and Steve Parish, the Palace chairman, met with Uefa officials last week in a bid to persuade them that the former’s 25 per cent voting rights means he is not, in fact, a person of influence at Selhurst Park.

But with Palace still facing the threat of missing out on Europe altogether it has now emerged that Textor is willing to offload his stake in the club for a lower price.

The Times report that Textor offloading his stake is seen as the most viable way to resolve the matter with a potential sale to his Palace cohorts a possibility.

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American co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have matching 18 per cent stakes and a sale to them, if viable, is seen as the ‘simplest outcome’ for all parties.

The report adds that sources close to Textor feel the outlined price of £170million is significantly less than he would stand to recoup otherwise given the club’s current market value.

Textor’s involvement at both Palace and Lyon has caused unrest in the Premier League, too, in light of Uefa’s recent meeting over the former’s Europa League fate.

It emerged earlier this week that Nottingham Forest have written to the authorities to express concern given the multi-club ownership rules that are in place.

Forest would stand to profit if Palace were expelled from the Europa League; they are currently set to participate in the Europa Conference League as a reward for their stellar 2024-25 campaign, where they finished seventh in the Premier League.

Even if Textor is successful in selling his stake there are concerns that the case could make its way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, further muddying the waters surrounding Palace and their fate.

Textor did attempt to put his shares into blind a trust to enable Palace to compete in Europe next season – an act other club chiefs have done – but Uefa ruled their attempts were too late, citing a deadline of March 1.

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