Sale Includes Stadium, Training Ground, and Teams Amid Financial Struggles and Relegation [OSEN=Jeong Seung-woo reporter] Leicester City, which achieved a miraculous Premier League title during the 2015-2016 season, has been put up for sale. The Thai King Power Group is pushing

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Leicester City Up for Sale: £200M Ask After Premier League Glory

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Sale Includes Stadium, Training Ground, and Teams Amid Financial Struggles and Relegation

[OSEN=Jeong Seung-woo reporter] Leicester City, which achieved a miraculous Premier League title during the 2015-2016 season, has been put up for sale. The Thai King Power Group is pushing to sell its shares 16 years after acquiring the club.

The UK's 'BBC' reported on the 13th (Korean time) that "Leicester City is pushing to sell the club for over 200 million pounds (approximately 382.5 billion Korean won). The Thai owner, King Power, is preparing to leave the club after 16 years."

According to the BBC, Leicester has produced an eight-page sales brochure through the U.S. investment bank Citigroup and distributed it to potential buyers.

The document is titled 'Project Lineup.' The sale includes Leicester's men's and women's teams, the King Power Stadium with a capacity of 32,000 people, the Seagrave Training Ground opened in 2020, and the Belgian sister club OH Leuven.

The Seagrave Training Ground was valued at 121 million pounds (approximately 231.4 billion Korean won).

The BBC confirmed that the total value of Leicester's tangible assets exceeds 200 million pounds. However, the specific sale price for the men's and women's football teams was not disclosed.

The brochure introduced Leicester as "a rare opportunity to acquire a club with an outstanding record of promotion to the top flight."

The club's glorious past was also emphasized. Leicester overturned a 5,000-to-1 odds assessment to win the Premier League in the 2015-2016 season. In 2021, they also lifted the FA Cup.

The current situation is the opposite. Leicester has been relegated twice, falling from the Premier League and Championship to League One, England's third tier. This is the club's second relegation to League One in its history.

The recent decline was not directly mentioned in the sales brochure.

The financial situation was also presented positively. Citigroup projected that Leicester's revenue for the 2026 fiscal year would exceed 97 million pounds (approximately 185.5 billion Korean won). However, the losses and debt accumulated in recent years were omitted from the brochure.

According to Leicester's 2025 financial records, the club's bank loans alone amount to 103.6 million pounds (approximately 198.1 billion Korean won).

Financial losses were significant during the period when the club moved between the Premier League and Championship.

Leicester was relegated twice from the Premier League between 2023 and 2025. During this period, the club recorded losses exceeding 180 million pounds (approximately 344.1 billion Korean won).

King Power acquired Leicester from former owner Milan Mandaric for 35 million pounds in 2010.

Under the King Power system, operated by the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Leicester experienced success that will be remembered in English football history.

Former chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash outside the stadium in 2019. His son, Aiyawatt 'Top' Srivaddhanaprabha, succeeded him as chairman.

News of Leicester's sale first emerged through the 'Financial Times' in July. This time, the actual sales brochure was delivered to potential investors, confirming that the process to find a new owner is progressing concretely.

Recently, voices among Leicester fans demanding King Power's sale of the club have grown louder. After the Championship relegation was confirmed last season, protests by fans dissatisfied with the club's management continued outside the King Power Stadium.

Leicester's struggles are also linked to King Power's financial difficulties. King Power, which grew based on its duty-free business in Thailand, has also faced financial hardships recently.

The club is emphasizing its history and potential over its current struggles. The sales brochure highlighted that Leicester is one of only five clubs to have won all three major English competitions -- the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup -- since 2000.

The youth system was also introduced as a key asset.

The document explained, "Leicester has a strong player development pipeline, continuously producing outstanding players based on top-tier scouting infrastructure, active transfer management, and a high-level academy system."

In fact, Leicester sold youth product Jeremy Monga to Manchester City for 10 million pounds (approximately 18.5 billion Korean won) last month.

Leicester will compete for promotion from League One under new manager Russell Martin in the new season. Their first match is against Notts County on the 15th.

When King Power acquired Leicester, the price was 35 million pounds. Now, 16 years later, the club is seeking a new owner with an asset value exceeding 200 million pounds.

Leicester, which wrote a fairy tale of Premier League glory, now faces a major change in ownership as it prepares to start anew in the third tier. /reccos23@osen.co.kr

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