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Kyle BonaguraESPN Staff Writer22:28 BST2 minute read

American businessman Kevin Nagle, owner of USL championship team Sacramento Republic, has begun the process to acquire English championship team Huddersfield Town, he announced Tuesday.

“I am more than pleased to announce that I have reached an agreement with Dean Hoyle to purchase a full interest in Huddersfield Town,” Nagle said in a statement broadcast via Republic and Huddersfield.

“As the approval process is already underway, there will be no further feedback until completion as we want to abide by that process 100%.”

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Nagle, who is also a minority owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, has been associated with Republic for nearly a decade and was part of the club’s ownership group when it was granted expansion rights to Major League Soccer in 2019, a deal It was dissolved when lead investor Ron Burkle withdrew.

“As I pursue this new endeavor and build new connections to the elite levels of soccer, I remain committed to the continued success and growth of Sacramento Republic FC, our plan to build a stadium and community asset in downtown Sacramento, and a bright future as a top-level club”. Nagel said.

Last month, MLS commissioner Don Garber did not rule out the possibility that Sacramento could eventually join the top league in the US, checking Sacramento’s name along with Las Vegas, San Diego, Detroit, Phoenix and Tampa.

Huddersfield Town have bounced up the English soccer pyramid, spending most of the last four decades in the second and third divisions.

From 2017 to 2019 Huddersfield were in the Premier League but were relegated after finishing bottom of the table in 2018-19. The Terriers almost achieved promotion last season, finishing third during the regular season and losing to Nottingham Forest in the EFL Championship playoff final.

Nagle is the co-founder and former CEO of Envision Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc., which was sold to the private investment firm TPG in 2013.