LOSC Lille: Luxembourg fund Merlyn Partners acquires the club, O. Létang appointed president

"LOSC SA is pleased to announce the finalization of the transfer of ownership from Victory Soccer Limited, owned by Gérard Lopez, to Callisto Sporting S.à.rl, owned by Merlyn Partners SCSp (Luxembourg-based investment fund)," announced LOSC Lille (Ligue 1 Uber Eats) on 18/12/2020. Victory Soccer Limited, based in London (ENG), has until now owned, indirectly, almost 100% of the Lille club.

"One of Merlyn's primary objectives is to build a new, experienced and strong leadership within the club. For this reason, Merlyn has appointed Olivier Létang as the new president and CEO of LOSC," added the French club. The former CEO of Stade de Reims, who subsequently moved on to Paris Saint-Germain, is making his return to the top of an elite club after last serving as president of Stade Rennais FC from November 2017 to February 2020.

Gérard Lopez had purchased the Lille club from Michel Seydoux in January 2017 using his own funds, before borrowing money on behalf of the club from Elliott Management (an investment fund based in New York, USA), mainly to acquire players in the transfer market…