Worried sportingly, OL are blowing from an economic point of view. In a press release published this Thursday, OL Groupe announced that it had finalized the refinancing of the majority of its debt for a total amount of 385 million euros. Olympique Lyonnais implemented this solution because several debts were coming due next year.
A new method in French football
Studied for a while, the idea of refinancing was mainly structured around a dedicated common securitization fund, representing more than 80% of the total amount. This method, unique in French football, consists of transforming the debt into financial securities which will then be exchanged with qualified investors, mainly in the United States. This fundraising can be amortized over twenty years and is done outside the stock market, at an advantageous rate of 5.83% per year.
In addition, a fundraising of 65 million euros with a five-year maturity (2028) was carried out with foreign banks, notably Goldman Sachs. It takes the form of a term loan at a variable rate and a revolving loan also at a variable rate, each corresponding to half of the amount.
The implementation of this global refinancing allows OL to breathe. In fact, it repays the outstanding debt linked to Groupama Stadium, including State Guaranteed Loans (PGE) contracted during the COVID years. This refinancing also ensures the repayment of other long-term debts, including those taken out with private parties.
