NFL Jacksonville Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan is "understood to be the NFL owner negotiating to buy" EPL side Fulham, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. Fulham Owner Mohamed Al-Fayed "was on the verge of selling the Premier League club" after investing £200M over the last 16 years in "establishing them in the top flight." And Khan, a billionaire car parts manufacturer who bought the Jaguars in Dec. '11, "is set to complete the deal with 84-year-old Fayed by the end of this week." Khan, a 62-year-old Pakistani who is the first non-American to own a NFL club, "sees the global sports picture." And he "describes the English capital as 'the missing piece' in the growth of his NFL team." So buying Fulham for a price in excess of £150M ($224M) would "allow him the opportunity to promote both sports brands to maximum effect in London." Al Fayed "has conducted negotiations with great secrecy from his London office in Park Lane," with the Fulham club execs "knowing little or nothing about the imminent change of ownership" (DAILY MAIL, 7/10). YAHOO SPORTS' Frank Schwab wrote "if you want to connect dots, Fulham being based in London surely raises some eyebrows." The Jaguars are "already testing out London, it seems." Khan buying a "well established and popular" Premier League club in London "certainly doesn't seem to be a completely random decision by a smart businessman" (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/10).
