The New York Jets owner, Woody Johnson, has offered £190m to buy John Textor’s stake in Crystal Palace. The move comes with Uefa expected to delay until the end of the month a decision on whether the club will be allowed to compete in next season’s Europa League. The offer from Johnson, the former US ambassador to the UK, has the backing of Palace’s co-chair Steve Parish and is believed to be under consideration by Textor despite falling significantly short of his valuation of about £240m for his 44.9% stake.
That figure is based on his failed attempt to buy out Parish and his fellow co-owners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, in April, when a £550m bid was rebuffed. Textor is understood to be prepared to accept up to £50m less than his valuation after Harris and Blitzer turned down an opportunity to buy his stake at the discounted price. A consortium that includes the NBA star Jimmy Butler and Sportsbank, which has held talks with Textor about investing in Palace, is also in the frame.
