Last night there were rumblings around Twitter that Jaguars owners Shahid Khan wanted to buy an English soccer club (we'll continue to call it soccer here to head off any obvious confusion from calling it a "futbol" club). Today, the Daily Mail reported that Fulham FC, of the English Premier League, is being put up for sale by owner Mohamad Al Fayed. The club has been valued at £200 million (roughly $298 million), and Khan could have the purchase of the team completed by the end of the week.
Two other NFL owners also own EPL teams (Joel Glazer: Buccaneers, Manchester United; Stan Kroenke: Rams, Arsenal); Khan would be the third.
With Jacksonville holding marketing rights in England for the next four years, a London-based soccer team would give Khan an avenue to advertise Jaguars games.
The sale would also mean, almost without a doubt, the Jaguars wouldn't be moving to London any time soon. If they did, it would be the sports equivalent of someone owning competing gas stations in the same town and having a price war. Khan is a savvy businessman, and he won't be pitting the Jaguars against Fulham FC.
The move makes a lot of sense for Khan. If the deal goes through, Khan will be able to tap into two markets, and he'll be able to use one (London) to promote his other market (Jacksonville), something that is almost impossible to do in sports.
