Belgian club Lommel SK becomes ninth addition to City Football Group's global portfolio

Lommel have an 8,000-capacity stadium and finished sixth in the Belgian second division

Manchester City are the crown jewel of City Football Group's global portfolio. Getty

Belgium's Lommel SK have become the ninth club acquired by City Football Group. Reuters

Spain's Girona FC are part of the CFG ecosystem. Getty

Melbourne City are part of the City Football Group. Getty

City Football Group also have New York City in their portfolio. Getty

Yokohama F.Marinos in Japan are part of the City group. Getty

Indian Super League side Mumbai City FC are also in the CFG family. Shutterstock

The City Football Group are adding a ninth club to their global portfolio after agreeing to buy Belgian second division club Lommel SK.

It means Manchester City could be given a boost in their bid to discover the next Kevin de Bruyne or Vincent Kompany.

Lommel have a reputation for producing young players and the CFG chief executive Ferran Soriano pointed to the talent in Belgium, with Roberto Martinez’s national team currently top of the Fifa rankings after reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

Lommel, who have an 8,000-capacity stadium and who finished sixth in the Belgian second flight, will become the third European members of the CFG along with Premier League champions City and Girona FC, who play in the Spanish second division.

Their partner clubs are New York City FC in the United States, Australia’s Melbourne City, Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos, Chinese club Sichuan Jiuniu, Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay and Mumbai City in India.

Soriano said: “Belgium is one of Europe’s best football countries as demonstrated by the success of the national team and the development of world-class players, some of whom we know very well, like Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany.”

Kompany became the most successful captain in City’s history during his 11-year stay in Manchester while De Bruyne is likely to win the club’s player of the year award this season.

And Soriano added: “This investment is part of our long-term strategy to be present in key football countries, play beautiful football and develop talent. We were attracted to Lommel’s culture, training facilities and commitment to youth development and we look forward to learning from their approach and helping the club to evolve in the months and years ahead.”

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed is the majority owner of the CFG, though the Chinese conglomerate CMC has a 12 per cent share and the American equity giant Silver Lake a 10 per cent stake.

CFG are acquiring a majority stake from the Lommel not for profit foundation and their chief executive Paul Kerkhofs will chair the club’s new board.

He said: “We are delighted that City Football Group has chosen to acquire Lommel and ensure the future of our club. We are extremely impressed with their philosophy, track record and approach and look forward to working together to take the club forward.”

Lommel mayor Bob Nijs added: “Lommel SK is an incredibly important part of our community. In City Football Group we have an ambitious, stable and reliable partner, which is committed to developing young players and will help the club to grow and succeed in the future. It is excellent news for the club and for the city.”