Published 14:20 IST, February 3rd 2021
Burnley's US takeover spells trouble, club faces debt estimated at £90m: Report
Burnley's takeover has come under the scanner with Alan Pace using the club's financial resources to pay the outgoing shareholders, leading to a £90m debt.
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Premier League outfit Burnley were in high spirits as they defeated defending champions Liverpool recently. Sean Dyche has been striving hard to ensure his team maintain a massive point-difference to stay away from the relegation zone. But the environment at Turf Moor has been nothing short of spelling trouble, with a financial crisis now hovering at the club. The club is in a massive debt following the takeover which was estimated at £170 million after the new owners used the club's resources to complete the deal.
Burnley's US takeover comes under scanner
Burnley's new chairman Alan Pace has been quite vocal of Sean Dyche's plans and his effort to continue playing in the Premier League. But he is yet to come clear on his intentions to buy the club from its local owners. Outgoing chairman Mike Garlick until recently owned 49.24% of the shares while John Banaszkiewicz had 28.2%.
DYCHE | Read the gaffer's latest update on the squad, ahead of tomorrow night's clash with Manchester City. ⬇️
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) February 2, 2021
In a response to The Guardian, Pace has refused to clarify how he will be able to pay the outgoing shareholders of the club. Pace, who heads the US consortium ALK Capital, however, maintains that he has a plan and wishes to invest new money to maintain financial sustainability.
Burnley finances used to pay shareholders
However, the report claims that the payments of the outgoing owners have been financed from a loan amount estimated at £60 million taken from MSD UK Holdings. And the loan has been sanctioned like a mortgage of Turf Moor and the club, meaning that the outfit will have to pay the loan's principal amount and the interest all by itself.
Earlier reports had claimed that the club's financial resources were used to pay for the purchase of the shares. And The Guardian confirms these reports, putting the figure between £30 million to £40 million on the club's revenue. Interestingly, the club had chalked out an impressive financial plan ever since their promotion to the Premier League in 2016.
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Burnley debt estimated at £90 million
The most recently available official data from Burnley, dating back to June 2019 suggests that the club had no borrowings with £42 million in the bank. This simply suggests that the club are now in a debt estimated at £90 million just for ALK to complete the Burnley takeover.
Image courtesy: Burnley Twitter
14:20 IST, February 3rd 2021