The owner of Manchester City Football Club has announced it has acquired its tenth club.
City Football Group will add Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne (ESTAC), in France’s Ligue 2, to its portfolio following review of the acquisition.
The group will become the new majority shareholder in ESTAC, having acquired the shares owned by previous owner, Daniel Masoni.
French businessman Maxime Ray has also acquired a minority stake in the club and will take a seat on its board.
The acquisition marks the group’s continued international expansion, which saw the group take a majority stake in Mumbai City FC and a 10 per cent stake in US giant Silver Lake in November 2019.
Ferran Soriano, chief executive of City Football Group, said: “We have had an interest in French football for some time and have long admired ESTAC, so we are delighted to have completed the acquisition of our tenth club and have a permanent presence in France.
“This is a milestone for City Football Group and demonstrates how our model continues to adapt and grow in a relatively short space of time.”
He continued: “At City Football Group, our objective remains to play beautiful football, identify and develop grassroots talent and have a permanent presence in the world’s football centres.
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“There is no doubt that France is one of the top football countries in the world and we are proud to be part of that community.
“We look forward to getting to know our new home and the club’s fans and working together to create a bright future for ESTAC.”
Founded in 1986, ESTAC plays at the 20,400 capacity Stade de l’Aube in Troyes.
The club won the Intertoto Cup in 2001 and were Ligue 2 champions in 2014-15, finishing in fourth place, one point off promotion, when the 2019-20 season was suspended.