Italian top-tier soccer club Udinese are close to being taken over by US-based global investment firm Guggenheim Partners, according to reports.

The sale of Udinese, currently owned by the Pozzo family, is expected to close by the end of this week (Friday, June 6), in Luxembourg, various Italian media sites have reported.

Sky Italia has reported that a preliminary agreement, originally signed in April, will be formally ratified on Friday. That outlet has also suggested there is a possibility that the Pozzo family, which has owned the club since 1986, may still retain a minority stake following the sale.

Guggenheim (through Guggenheim Baseball Management), and its controlling partner Mark Walter, are currently the sole owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, from North America's Major League Baseball – they also hold stakes in basketball's Los Angeles Lakers (men's) and Los Angeles Sparks (women's) teams.

In addition, Walter and Guggenheim own 12% (between them) of BlueCo, the holding company behind English soccer heavyweights Chelsea.

Of the 20 Serie A teams in 2024-25, 11 were under majority foreign ownership, and nine were owned or part-owned by North American individuals or groups, including heavyweights Inter Milan and AC Milan.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

In January, a Texas private equity firm completed a deal to buy Serie A team Hellas Verona.

Udinese, meanwhile, finished 12th in Serie A last season, while the Pozzo family also owns English second-tier side Watford.