Manchester, Sep 3 (AP) The Abu Dhabi ownership of Manchester City added a 10th club to its worldwide portfolio by announcing the purchase of French second-division team Troyes on Thursday.

The City Football Group will become the majority shareholder of Troyes after buying the shares of its previous owner, Daniel Masoni.

Also Read | Yuzvendra Chahal Presents a Hilarious Version of 'Rasode Mein Kaun Tha' With Fiancee Dhanashree Verma, Chris Gayle Trolls RCB Bowler (Watch Video).

“We have had an interest in French football for some time and have long admired ESTAC (Troyes)," said Ferran Soriano, chief executive of CFG, “so we are delighted to have completed the acquisition of our 10th club and have a permanent presence in France." Soriano called it a “milestone” for the group.

“Our objective remains to play beautiful football, identify and develop grassroots talent and have a permanent presence in the world's football centers,” he said.

Also Read | IPL 2020 Team Sponsorship: Valvoline Joins SunRisers Hyderabad as Principal Sponsor for Upcoming Season.

“There is no doubt that France is one of the top football countries in the world and we are proud to be part of that community.”

The CFG's clubs also include New York City FC, Melbourne City, Girona in Spain, Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, Sichuan Jiuniu FC in China, Mumbai City FC in India, Club Atletico Torque in Uruguay and Lommel in Belgium.

The group also has a “collaboration agreement” with Venezuelan team Atletico Venezuela.

Troyes, which was founded in 1986 and is located in northeastern France, was in fourth place — one point off the promotion positions — when France's Ligue 2 was called off last season because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Among its best-known former players is ex-France midfielder Blaise Matuidi. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)