Leeds United's proposed American takeover hasn't exactly been kept the quietest of secrets but while 49ers Enterprises only currently hold 44% of the club's shares, one Premier League rival has fully joined the US investment club as Bournemouth are now 100% owned by American businessman Bill Foley and his company Black Knight Football Club after the deal was ratified by the Premier League.
The sale of the club by previous owner Maxim Demin, who headed the club for 11 years, now means that over half of the Premier League clubs have minority or majority shareholders - one of which being the Whites.
Foley is also the managing general partner of Black Knight, with the company partially owned by American actor Michael B Jordan as well as Nullah Sarker who is involved with tennis' Davis Cup. Jordan is expected to actually play an engaged role within the club, with the Cherries saying he'll be working closely with Foley "in areas including global marketing and internationalisation of the club".
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After founding the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, Foley's newest venture will see him take the official role as chairman and fans expect to see him attend the Cherries' next home match - a New Year's Eve bout against Crystal Palace.
The takeover means 11 Premier League clubs have US shareholders: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham but with Leeds fans debating the pros and cons of full American ownership, will that delay the process of a true takeover from current owner Andrea Radrizzani?
It's obviously unlikely but after a sudden wave of new investment in London with Todd Boehly's £2.5million capture of Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in the summer, some of the biggest clubs across the league have started to see shaky investments from their owners.
Fenway Sports Group, the current majority owners of Liverpool, as well as the Glazer Family who own Manchester United have both said they want to pursue a sale of the club sooner rather than later and with huge investment coming in from the Middle East after the PIF consortium's takeover of Newcastle last year, can we expect a slower transition that some might think?
Well, no one knows for sure but after another wave of cash injections from over the pond, the Premier League will be keen to keep allowing these big-money moves for their clubs in order to grow the league's image globally - something Leeds and the 49ers have already done with their minority stake.
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