Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho and Andorra-based investment fund Clayton Sport are exploring an investment in AS Monaco Basket as the financially troubled club faces an uncertain future after being excluded from France’s top two basketball divisions.
According to French newspaper L’Équipe, Ronaldinho, backed by Clayton Sport, has sent a letter of intent to AS Monaco Basket CEO Oleksiy Yefimov outlining the group’s interest in investing in the club.
The potential deal could significantly change Monaco’s financial outlook. The club had been in the process of changing hands, with Helen Holdings, an investment group led by former NBA player and All-Star Jamal Mashburn, previously positioned to take control.
€10 million investment plan
Clayton Sport is reportedly prepared to assume €2.5 million of AS Monaco Basket’s debt to the EuroLeague and provide a €5 million bank guarantee required by France’s financial regulator for professional sport, the DNCG.
Ronaldinho and the investment fund are also considering committing around €10 million over the next three seasons to restructure the club’s finances and strengthen its sporting project.
The investment would form part of a wider plan aimed at restoring Monaco to the top level of French and European basketball.
From French champions to financial crisis
AS Monaco Basket’s financial problems have emerged despite the club enjoying one of the strongest periods in its sporting history.
Monaco won the French championship and four domestic titles during the 2025-26 season, while also establishing itself as one of the leading French representatives in the EuroLeague.
However, the DNCG questioned the club’s financial viability. On July 3, the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) announced that Monaco would be excluded from the Betclic Élite for the 2026-27 season.
The club was subsequently also denied entry into France’s second division, leaving a team that had reached the 2025 EuroLeague final outside the country’s top two professional leagues.
Another change in ownership?
AS Monaco Basket has already undergone changes to its ownership structure in recent years. In 2022, Russian billionaire Aleksej Fedoricsev acquired 46.4% of the club, becoming its largest shareholder.
Ronaldinho and Clayton Sport’s potential involvement could now trigger another ownership and financial restructuring at the Monaco club.
If completed, the project would represent more than a financial rescue. It would be an attempt to rebuild a club that has rapidly risen to the top of European basketball and return it to the French and EuroLeague elite.