Girondins de Bordeaux, the former Champions League club now playing in the French sixth tier, are set to be purchased by an English investment firm for just 86p. The takeover, announced at the Tribunal de Commerce, will see current owner Gerard Lopez sell the club for €1 (86p) to English firm Park Bench, rescuing it from liquidation.
Financial struggles and failed takeovers
Bordeaux have faced financial difficulties for years. Fenway Sports Group, the owners of Liverpool Football Club, withdrew from a takeover deal two years ago. The club previously competed in Ligue 1 as recently as five years ago against teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, Monaco and Marseille, and reached the Champions League quarter-final in the 2009/10 season.
Recent failed takeover bids have left the club's future in the balance. The sale to Park Bench will require renegotiating Bordeaux's debts, which will now be repaid over 12 years instead of 10. The debt value is also set to be slashed from €26 million (£22m) to €13 million (£11m).
Notable players and Andy Carroll's stint
Over the years, Bordeaux have boasted several notable players, including Zinedine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Sylvain Wiltord. Another is ex-England striker Andy Carroll, who signed with the club in 2024 and spent a season there until the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign.
Carroll confessed that his wages didn't even cover his rent. He said: "I won't tell you the exact figure but to give you an idea, since I moved here, I rent a pretty little house and my salary is less than my rent. If I joined Bordeaux, it clearly wasn't for the money. I had offers from elsewhere to play in Saudi Arabia, but that didn't interest me."
He earned just €1,614 (£1372.55) gross per month, which drops to less than €1,400 (£1200) after tax, according to L'Equipe. That sum is below the French minimum wage of €1,801.80 (£1532.25) gross for a 35-hour work week, which technically classified Carroll as a part-time employee.
