Leicester Tigers enter a whole new ball game by inviting takeover offers

Leicester Tigers have won a record ten English championships and have twice been European champions, but the team have had a bad couple of years, finishing a disappointing second from bottom last season
Leicester Tigers have won a record ten English championships and have twice been European champions, but the team have had a bad couple of years, finishing a disappointing second from bottom last season
MALCOLM COUZENS/GETTY IMAGES

One of English rugby union’s most venerable clubs is to be put up for sale with an estimated price tag of more than £60 million amid growing interest in the sport.

The Times has learnt that Leicester Tigers, winners of a record ten English championships and twice crowned European champions, have appointed Zeus Capital, the advisory firm, to run a formal sale process.

The decision, expected to be announced today, is understood to have been taken after the recent sale of a minority stake in Premiership Rugby, England’s top league, by CVC Capital Partners, a private equity firm, sparked interest in Leicester.

CVC paid an estimated £230 million for a 27 per cent stake in the league, handing a windfall of about £13 million to