Marcelo and Snoop Dogg part of the consortium that has bought historic club Nantes

Nantes is ever closer to a change of ownership. The Kita family, which has run the French club since 2007, when it bought it for 10 million euros, has signed a sale agreement with Phenix Sports Invest, a group of foreign investors represented by the Portuguese-French intermediary Paulo Tavares, who has worked on this project for two years.

According to L’Équipe, the parties are in advanced negotiations to finalise a deal with a fixed base of 100 million euros. That sum could rise by 25 million euros if the team is promoted to the top flight in 2027.

Although Nantes does not own the ‘Stade de La Beaujoire’ or the ‘Jonelière’ training centre (both belong to Métropole de Nantes), the buyers retain a strong interest in the project. The process will now have to pass review by the DNCG, the body that oversees the accounts of French football.

The new sporting and managerial project already has several key figures identified. The main objective is a quick return to the first division, together with the modernisation of the infrastructure at La Beaujoire and Jonelière and a commercial plan focused on transfers, sponsorships and ticket sales.

In the sporting and managerial structure, Jérôme Champagne, a former FIFA official with experience at Clermont Foot, appears well positioned to take the presidency. Nadim Takchi is being considered for the post of general director, and Erik Stoffelshaus, a former Schalke 04 director, is in line for the role of sporting director. Cyril Linette, a former general director of L’Équipe, is another name being considered to join the structure.

The project also aims to invest in figures with global media influence. Marcelo, the former Real Madrid defender, was contacted to play the role of ambassador because of his international profile and his strength on social media. The artist Snoop Dogg, meanwhile, is the intended target to sponsor the French club’s future museum. The American artist is already an investor in Swansea, owned by Vítor Matos.