Brentford owners buy Spanish third-tier club Mérida

Brentford owners Best Intentions Actions have reached an agreement to acquire Spanish third-division club Mérida, the Premier League side said on Tuesday.

Mérida, founded in 2013 after the dissolution of predecessor Club Polideportivo Mérida, are fifth in the Primera Federación standings, the third tier of Spanish football.

"We are aware of the club's history and identity, and respecting that is something very important to us," Brentford chair Cliff Crown, who is set to become Mérida's club president, said in a statement.

"The project at Mérida will continue on the same basis as it is currently, maintaining the foundations of the great work that has been carried out so far.

"This was another key factor in our decision to commit to this club, along with the fact that it has been run on a sound financial footing."

Brentford were previously part of a multi-club system alongside FC Midtjylland from 2014-2023, until owner Matthew Benham sold the Danish side to Anders Holch Povlsen.

"Being integrated into a well-established and internationally respected methodological structure in the world of football is a source of pride," Mérida general director Alejandro Pérez Robles said.

"It reaffirms the work carried out by the club over the past four years, during which solid foundations have been laid for its future development."