Egyptian billionaire, Nassef Sawiris, alongside his fellow co-owner of the English football club Aston Villa, Wes Edens, is reportedly in the midst of new negotiations to expand his enormous football empire into France.

Aston Villa’s parent company, V Sports, claimed to be close to acquiring a majority position in French club FC Annecy.

Sawiris, Egypt’s second richest man, has made a significant investment in his club football network through V Sports with American investor Wes Edens. Their latest target appears to be FC Annecy, a second-tier French club with which Aston Villa already has ties, The Athletic reports.

Should the deal materialise, the French football club will join Real Union of Spain and the Japanese team Vissel Kobe, which are already in their portfolio of clubs. By bringing Annecy under their control, Villa will probably have the chance to help their young players improve by allowing them to relocate to France.

Nassef Sawiris’ foray into the sports industry goes far beyond just football club ownership. In March, the global sporting brand Adidas turned its sights to the Egyptian billionaire to assume the position of chairman of the company. He has been on Adidas’ supervisory board since 2016 and as deputy chairman since 2025.

He also has a significant stake in the athletic goods industry, owning an estimated 6% through his investment vehicle (NNS Group), making him one of the company’s greatest shareholders.

Nassef Sawiris, who is currently worth $9.99 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaire index, also owns stakes in other sporting brands, including a 5% stake in Madison Square Garden Sports, which owns the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Sawiris, the son of the late Egyptian industrialist Onsi Sawiris, patriarch to one of Africa’s most powerful families, is in charge of OCI, one of the biggest producers of nitrogen fertilizer worldwide.