Guardian: New York Jets boss intends to acquire Tector s Crystal Palace shares, with a £190 million offer

June 13 The Guardian reported that Woody Johnson, the owner of the rugby team New York Jets, has bid 190 million pounds to acquire shares in Crystal Palace held by John Tuctor.

This move comes as UEFA postponed to the end of the month to decide whether to allow Crystal Palace to participate in next season's UEFA Cup. The offer from the former US ambassador to the UK was supported by Crystal Palace co-chair Steve Parish. Although the valuation gap between Tuctor's 44.9% stake is significant, it is reported that the offer is still under consideration.

The valuation stems from the failed attempt of Tector to spend 550 million pounds to acquire Parish and two other joint shareholders, Josh Harris and David Blitzer. It is understood that after Harris and Blitzer refused to acquire their shares at a discount, Tuctor was ready to accept offers below the valuation of up to £50 million. A sportsbank consortium that includes NBA star Jimmy Butler and a sportsbank consortium that once negotiated investment with Tuctor are also in the bidding ranks.

The four joint shareholders of Crystal Palace went to Nyon, Switzerland this month to attend the UEFA headquarters meeting, emphasizing that Tector, as the major shareholder of Ligue 1 Lyon Club (also qualified for the UEFA Cup), has no decisive impact on Crystal Palace's decision. Due to the missed March 1 deadline, UEFA has rejected the application of Tuctor and Blitzer to establish a blind trust to dispose of shares, and Blitzer's Denmark's Bloom Derby club has been qualified for the European Union.

UEFA Club Financial Control Agency (CFCB) originally planned to make a quick decision, but sources said they need more time to analyze and make it more realistic to announce it before the end of June. This may provide a window for Tector to complete the sale, and this move is also welcomed by UEFA. However, it is believed that Tector is unwilling to trade hastily and has continued to invest additionally since he bought 40% of the initial shares for 180 million pounds in August 2021.

Crystal Palace is still optimistic about being allowed to participate in the UEFA Cup and has maintained regular communication with the CFCB since the Nyon meeting. But if approved in the end, Nottingham Forest may appeal to the Sports Arbitration Court, which Forest has sent a letter to UEFA this week, questioning Crystal Palace's alleged violation of multi-club ownership regulations. Forest owner Marinakis has a close relationship with Tector. If Crystal Palace is suspended, Forest will advance from Europa League United, while Brighton, the eighth-placed Premier League, will replace Forest to be qualified for Europa League United.

It is understood that Brighton has no intention to appeal to UEFA and is unlikely to take legal action with his archenemy Forest to obstruct Crystal Palace from participating in the competition.