Seattle Sounders ownership group nearing deal to purchase NWSL's OL Reign from Lyon's OL Groupe

The Seattle Sounders' ownership group is reportedly in advanced talks to buy OL Reign from French club Lyon.

WHAT HAPPENED? According to Sportico, no agreement has been signed just yet, and talks could still fall apart, but the two sides are in negotiations over a potential deal. Sportico recently valued the Reign at $49 million, eighth in the league. The club had been acquired by its current owners for $3 million in 2019.

The Washington Spirit were recently sold to Michele Kang for $35 million, a record amount, before the Chicago Red Stars were purchased for $25.5 million with a commitment to invest another $25 million into operations. Two expansion teams, one in the Bay Area and one in Boston, were recently purchased for $53 million.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Founded in 2012, the club was owned by Bill and Teresa Predmore until 2019, with OL Groupe, the parent company of French clubs Olympique Lyon and Olympique Lyon Femenin, became the majority owner. The team was rebranded from Seattle Reign to OL Reign while changing its badge and colors to reflect its French sister clubs.

The Reign are currently owned by John Textor's Eagle Football, who bought OL Groupe last December. The team was placed on the market earlier this year after Spirit owner Kang purchased the Lyon women's team.

The club is currently preparing for the NWSL Final against Gotham FC on Sunday.

The Sounders, meanwhile, remain among the best-run MLS clubs, having won two MLS Cup titles while drawing an average of around 32,000 fans to Lumen Field.

WHAT THEY SAID:  “OL Reign is fully focused on the NWSL Championship this weekend with a goal of bringing our first title back home to Seattle," an OL Reign representative told Sportico. «The process on the sale of the club