Burnley owner Alan Pace eyeing Mexican takeover as part of multi-club model

The Clarets' owner is looking to acquire another club to add to his collection.

It is approaching six years since Alan Pace arrived at Burnley, with his investment group ALK Capital acquiring a controlling stake in the club in December 2020.

At the time, the Clarets were an established Premier League club, going through their fifth successive season in the top flight under Sean Dyche.

The Lancashire club have yo-yoed between the top and second tier since then but now find themselves in their most perilous position in two decades.

Understandably, there are concerns around Pace's ownership of the club, and now there have been fresh reports that the American businessman is eyeing a Mexican takeover as part of a multi-club model.

ALK Capital looking at Club Leon takeover

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Burnley have been part of a multi-club ownership model since July 2025, when their owners agreed a deal to acquire Spanish club Espanyol, with the acquisition completed three months later.

The acquisition fitted into ALK Capital's longer-term plan to build a multi-club sports platform around the Lancashire club.

One of the reported reasons for the move was that owning a Spanish club would give the group preferential access to young European and South American talent.

The Burnley FC Independent Supporters Association (BFCISA) was critical of the way the move happened and, in a newsletter published earlier this year, said it had happened without fan consultation.

Now, the investment group are believed to be eyeing Mexican outfit Club Leon, according to the Daily Mail, with the publication reporting that there are concerns about Burnley becoming a side dish in Pace's plan.

Club Leon are seventh in the top flight of Mexican football as it currently stands, are based in the city of León, which is home to more than 1.5 million people, and they boast a home average attendance of over 22,000.

Have Burnley gone backwards under Alan Pace's ownership?

When analysing Burnley's league finishes since ALK Capital took over the club, the evidence suggests that the Clarets have been going in reverse.

As previously stated, when Pace arrived, the club were experiencing their fifth straight campaign in the Premier League, their best run in the top flight since the early 1970s.

Burnley just about survived in the Premier League at the end of the 2020/21 season, finishing 17th, but were then relegated the following term, finishing 18th.

Since then, the club have been promoted back to the top flight on the first attempt on two occasions, under Vincent Kompany and Scott Parker, but have been unable to adapt their game to survive.

Now, an instant return to the Premier League looks an impossible mission even though it is such early days into the Championship campaign.

Why the summer of 2026 was so damaging for Burnley

Burnley went 71 days without a manager after Scott Parker left the club in late April, with Nicky Hayen appointed in mid-July.

That left the Belgian with just 29 days to get used to his squad and prepare them for their opening competitive match of the season against Notts County in the Carabao Cup.

On top of that, the Clarets lost several of their best players, including Jaidon Anthony, Maxime Esteve and Zian Flemming, with the striker signing for Ipswich Town on deadline day.