FC Nantes sale to Phenix Capital falls through over financial guarantees

FC Nantes will not change ownership, at least not in the immediate future. Waldemar Kita announced on Thursday the breakdown of negotiations with Phenix Capital, ending a takeover process that had appeared to be well underway.

A sales agreement had been signed and an exclusive negotiation period opened on 28 September 2026. Yet the file never reached the decisive stage of review by the Direction nationale du contrôle de gestion (DNCG). In a statement, the club explained that Phenix Capital failed to assemble the financial guarantees essential to validating the transaction: “Despite multiple requests and extended deadlines, it was noted with regret and surprise that the prospective buyer and its advisors were unable to provide the financial guarantees announced, nor to compile the complete file necessary for the DNCG to validate such an operation.”

With the sales promise now void, Kita made his decision. The statement bluntly described the operation as a project “manifestly not serious.” The Nantes president justified his decision by invoking the protection of the club’s and its employees’ interests: “My priority has always been to ensure the stability and development of FC Nantes and to safeguard its interests and those of its employees.” He added that the elements presented by the prospective buyer did not allow guaranteeing “a sound and sustainable takeover.”

The change of ownership at FC Nantes is thus postponed to an undetermined date, with no new leads officially mentioned at this stage.