Brentford have been put up for sale

[rugbytoffee]

Brentford have been put up for sale, with owner Matthew Benham seeking a fee of £400million for the Premier League club.

Benham initially invested in the Bees in 2007, before taking over full control five years later. He has bankrolled their rise from League One to the Premier League, with promotion to the top flight achieved in 2021.

Under Benham's stewardship, Brentford have earned a reputation as one of the most cutting-edge teams when it comes to the use of data in recruitment. He also oversaw the successful move from Griffin Park to the Gtech Community Stadium.

But the British businessman is now ready to take a step back from his boyhood team. In the wake of the mega-deals involving Chelsea and Manchester United, Benham has grown interested in seeking external investment in the London side.

According to Sky News, Benham has hired Rothschild to oversee the process that could see him sell a controlling stake in the Bees. The financial services group is expected to get that process underway shortly.

Investors from the US are expected to be most interested in buying into Brentford. As it stands, Benham is thought to be open-minded over whether to sell a minority or a controlling shareholding in the club.

But he is expecting that any deal would value Brentford as being worth more than £400m. Such a fee would reflect the soaring valuations of Premier League clubs, following Sir Jim Ratcliffe paying £1.25billion for a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United.

[evertontillidie]

Man City's bench cost more than that.