19th Jun 2025 • Written by The Palace Way

Exclusive: Sportsbank rivalling Woody Johnson with bid to buy John Textor's stake in Crystal Palace

Sportsbank have launched a new bid in the last few days to buy John Textor's stake in Crystal Palace, rivalling New York Jets owner Woody Johnson for a 44.9% share in the South London football club. 

Textor, who has been forced into pursuing an exit from Palace due to UEFA's concerns over multi-club ownership ahead of next season's Europa league, owns a significant portion of Palace through his company Eagle Football Holdings. Unlike their offer earlier this year, which would have seen them invest up to £200m in Eagle Football Holdings, Sportsbank's latest bid would see them buy out Textor, severing his ties with Palace. 

The Palace Way understands that Sportsbank's offer exceeds the value of Woody Johnson's proposal, and would come with long-term ambitions to invest in both the club and the surrounding area. As reported earlier this year, Sportsbank have a technocratic vision for Palace, and would look to support chairman Steve Parish as Palace continue to rise in stature after their FA Cup victory this year.

In addition to chief executive Zechariah Janjua, multiple individuals within Sportsbank are lifelong season ticket holders at Selhurst Park, and sources close to the deal emphasise the company's focus on fan engagement - including a potential future opportunity for long-term supporters to own a portion of the club. 

Sportsbank are especially keen to improve Palace's infrastructure, which could help get the long-awaited stadium redevelopment over the line - or potentially contribute towards a new stadium. 

However, it has been reported that Textor is currently favouring the bid by the Johnson & Johnson heir, despite its lower valuation of his shares, and his reputation as the only owner in the NFL to receive an F grade in the competition's annual team report card.

Palace's European ambitions would not be affected by Textor's choice of buyer in the current two-horse race, as the Premier League would not be able to approve a new owner before UEFA's deadline at the end of June. 

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