Barnsley FC part-owners Pacific Media Group closing in on eighth club, according to reports

The Athletic reports Pacific Media Group (PMG) are in talks over a deal to buy Polish second-tier side GKS Tychy.

PMG acquired Barnsley in December 2017 and now own around a 40 per cent stake but co-founders Paul Conway and Chien Lee were voted off the board following relegation to League One in the summer. Both divisive figures on the terraces as the team struggled, it was stressed at the time neither has any more day-to-day involvement in decision-making at the club once they were removed as co-chairmen.

PMG also own stakes in Danish side Esbjerg, French team Nancy, Belgium’s Oostende, Thun of Switzerland, Dutch club Den Bosch and in March they purchased a 10 per cent stake in German side Kaiserslauten.

Nancy and Ejsberg were also relegated last season.

Part of PMG's strategy is to share data and even players amongst its clubs.

Matty Wolfe had a loan spell at Esbjerg in the first half of last season, Elliot Simoes was sold to Nancy in August 2021, and Patrick Schmidt (Esbjerg) and Toby Sibbick (Oostende) are examples of players loaned to PMG clubs before being sold on.

One of Barnsley's most successful signings of recent seasons was centre-back Michal Helik, who progressed into the Polish national side after joining from Cracovia in 2020. He was sold to Championship side Huddersfield Town after this summer's relegation but after a 2022 hampered by injury, he missed out on Poland's World Cup squad despite having been a regular in qualifying.

Since Brexit PMG's model has been harder to implement in the UK, where work permit restrictions have become much tighter.

It was perhaps a sign of their waning influence and the changing times that Michael Duff was the first permanent English manager at Oakwell since PMG's takeover.