Brighton owner Tony Bloom bids for minority stake in Heart of Midlothian

Brighton owner Tony Bloom has proposed an investment of just under £10m for a 29% stake in Scottish Premiership outfit Heart of Midlothian.

Bloom's formal offer will now be considered by the Foundation of Hearts (FoH), who own the Edinburgh club on behalf of fans.

The consultation period will conclude on 26 May and the Brighton supremo must receive more than 50% approval from the 8,000 members for his bid to be successful.

If the proposal is accepted, Bloom will be purchasing non-voting rights shares and there will be no change to FoH’s current shareholder voting rights in the club, which will remain at 75.1%.

The deal will then need to be ratified by the Scottish FA.

Bloom has been linked with an interest in Hearts for the best part of a year and the club have already been working collaboratively with the British entrepreneur after partnering with his Jamestown Analytics firm in November.

On Bloom's interest in the club, a statement on the Foundation of Hearts website reads: "This opportunity has not come around by accident.

Tony Bloom has done his due diligence (as has the club) and he has recognised both the importance of Heart of Midlothian Football Club and its significant potential.

"He believes Hearts can disrupt Scottish football, and he wants to be a part of a new glorious chapter in Hearts’ history."

Bloom's involvement with Hearts will have no impact on his ownership of Brighton or Belgian Pro League outfit Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

While Bloom has ownership interests in all three clubs, the FoH reiterated that Hearts will not become a part of a multi-club system.

They added: "He (Bloom) has never sought to tie those clubs together in a “multi-club system”.

"The transaction has also been structured carefully to ensure that it remains compliant with football regulations relating to multi-club ownership."

The 55-year-old purchased Brighton in 2009 and has oversaw the Seagulls' remarkable ascent from League One to Premier League regulars through data-driven recruitment.

He expanded his interests into Europe with the acquisition of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in 2018 and the Belgian outfit are now contending for their first league title in over 80 years.

Bloom's proposal arrives at an important time for Hearts with the club in the process of appointing a successor to Neil Critchley, who was sacked at the end of April just six months into his tenure.

Jaquob Crooke

• Brighton and Hove Albion F.C.
• Scottish Premiership
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