Why are Premier League Owners Investing in Spanish Football Clubs
The trend of Premier League owners investing in Spanish clubs has accelerated significantly in 2024-2025, with multiple high-profile acquisitions and negotiations taking place simultaneously.
Landscape - MCOs in Spain
22 MCO groups across Spanish top 3 Divisions, x8 in LaLiga, x8 in Segunda and six that operate with a third tier club.
9/13 South American Countries speak Spanish, with Six of the seven Central American countries also speaking de jure. Then we have Mexico and a further 3 Caribbean countries with cultural ties.
2025 Developments
Burnley's ALK Capital acquired Espanyol for €130m
Brentford's owners purchased third-tier Mérida AD
Liverpool's FSG has actively explored deals in either Elche, Getafe, Málaga
Other Premier League Links
Aston Villa V Sports bought into Real Unión
City Football Group acquisition of Girona
Crystal Palace Co-owner ‘David Blitzer’ owns AD Alcorcón
Brighton owner Tony Bloom Data analytics companies Starlizard & Jamestown Analytics supports CD Castellon
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are linked through Ares Management who holds
Six Reasons Why Premier League Owners are now investing in Spanish Clubs
Gateway for South American talent: Many South American / Latin players obtain dual citizenship through Spanish heritage, and with long-standing cultural and scouting ties to Latin America this makes an easier integration into European squads.
Samoa Agreement: successor to the Cotonou Agreement, players from 77 African, Caribbean, and Pacific nations are granted EU-equivalent status for registration purposes in Spain
Reserve Team Structure: Spanish football's highly integrated reserve team structure supports youth talent progression more effectively than many other European systems
Unlimited Loans: The absence of domestic limits on the number of players a club can loan in or out provides valuable operational flexibility for ownership groups developing players across multiple clubs.
Band 1 Status: As highlighted by Andy Watson (Recruitment Expert) With La Liga having Band 1 status in the GBE rules, it is a really useful league for MCOs to have a club in if they also have an English club. It means that they can qualify players for a GBE much easier, allowing for better freedom of movement for their young talent.
Financial Discipline: La Liga's strict financial regulations, enforced across both the first and second divisions, provide a level of financial discipline that appeals to ownership groups seeking sustainable investment models.
Financial Investment in Big Five Leagues
Premier League owners having invested €4.551bn over the past six years, while La Liga's figure over the same period is €483m
Serie A owners have injected over €3.6bn, Bundesliga cash injections equal €711m despite their 50+1 model, whilst Ligue 1 the figure is €1.79bn.
The median Premier League club generates over £200m in revenue, three times what a mid-table La Liga club earns
Premier League's bottom 10 clubs average $0.66bn in valuation, compared to La Liga's bottom 10 at just $0.10bn - a 6.95x difference
Real Madrid and Barcelona account for 48% of La Liga's total revenue, creating an extremely top-heavy distribution. This concentration means the remaining 18 La Liga clubs compete for just over half the league's total revenue pool.
La Liga's 223.1% coefficient of variation versus Premier League's 101.9% demonstrates how this translates into vastly different competitive balance and valuation structures between the two leagues.
This disparity explains why Premier League club owners increasingly view Spanish clubs as strategic investments rather than direct competitors