A Turkish businessman is on the verge of buying a professional English football club, the first such takeover by an investor from Turkey.
Ziya Eren, who is already chairman of Anatolian side Kayseri Erciyesspor, has placed a deposit to buy out Crawley Town F.C., which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of England's football system.
Contracts are due to be exchanged within days, the club confirmed.
Eren told Anadolu Agency that he chose to invest in the club because football was watched and followed in England more than any other country, and that the English system of club ownership would be a model for Turkey.
Speaking from Kayseri, he said: “We bought this club thinking of it as our own company. We want to raise young talent here. We will improve talent both here and there in a beneficial way.
“As Turkish investors, we will promote Turkey's name in the best possible way by investing in a country that is the home of football. No Turkish investor has ever bought a club from England before.
“England is very important in football. We will combine our footballing experience to produce some good work."
Crawley Town said in a statement: “The club can confirm that a deposit for the proposed sale of Crawley Town F.C. to a Turkish investor has been received by the club's solicitor and an exchange of contracts is due to take place in the next 24 hours.
“Both parties are working towards completing the sale of the club by early next week, although this is subject to Football League approval of the takeover relating to the Owners and Directors test and the completion of all legal agreements."
Crawley Town was relegated to League Two last season after a meteoric rise over the past decade that saw it become a fully professional club. It is currently fifteenth in the 24-club division and lost its last game to Accrington Stanley 4-1.
