League One side Charlton Athletic Owner Roland Duchatelet "is ready to end his turbulent reign" and sell the "beleaguered" club, with an Australian consortium "in negotiations over a possible takeover," according to Morshead & Gaughan of the London DAILY MAIL. Duchatelet acquired Charlton in '14, but his tenure "has been riddled with poor results and fan unrest, with regular protests staged by supporters demanding the Belgian leave the south London side." Those fans "might soon get their wish," as the club is reportedly "engaged in discussions with potential new owners." Australian Football Consortium is "currently attempting to raise the capital necessary to buy out the Belgian," who holds 100% of the shares via his holding company, Staprix NV. The mooted deal to purchase both the club and the New Eltham training facility "is believed to be worth" around £20M ($25M). AFC, which has its sights on "making Charlton the breeding ground for talent from Down Under," has undertaken "initial due diligence" with plans to turn Manager Karl Robinson's side into "Australia's Football Club." The group is fronted by Gerard Murphy, a "prominent management consultant from Australia who has previously been involved in various positions" with EPL side Crystal Palace, the Rugby Football Union and Team GB's Olympic and Paralympic squads. Philip Aitken, the London-based chair of multinational construction and infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, has been appointed AFC's U.K. chair (DAILY MAIL, 4/12).
