Owner of Raptors and Maple Leafs in talks to seal buying French soccer club Saint-Étienne

Storied French soccer club Saint-Étienne is in exclusive talks for a sale to the owner of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs. The club says in a statement the full purchase of the 1976 European Cup finalist by Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Group should be ratified within weeks. It's four days before a key end-of-season game in the team's push for promotion back to the top tier. Tanenbaum says the club is “the beating heart of a city and its region.” Saint-Étienne is a 10-time champion of France though not since 1981 when its star player was French great Michel Platini.