Vandenhaute-Alderweireld consortium makes move for Antwerp as Gheysens races midnight loan deadline

A midnight race to repay

Paul Gheysens, owner of Royal Antwerp FC, must repay a loan of between €7.5 and €10 million to hedge fund Fasanara by 23:59 on Tuesday 30 June, several Belgian media report. If he misses the deadline, control of the club will pass to Fasanara, a fund with no experience running a football team and little appetite for the task. Gheysens had earlier sought a fresh €100 million loan from global investment giant Carlyle, but that attempt failed. He is still talking to foreign investors, although no publicly announced deal had materialised as of Tuesday evening. The loan stems from a €35 million arrangement Fasanara provided two years ago to fund Antwerp’s day-to-day operations.

A consortium steps forward

While Gheysens weighs his options, a Belgian investment group has positioned itself as a ready buyer. The group was known to the public through former Antwerp port chief Jacques Vandermeiren, who was expected to take a leadership role. However, Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Tuesday that the driving figure behind the consortium is Wouter Vandenhaute, the controversial former chairman of Anderlecht. Vandenhaute confirmed the news to De Standaard. If a deal is struck, he would become the club’s main shareholder, while Vandermeiren would assume the chairmanship. Vandermeiren declined to comment on Tuesday, telling De Standaard:

“Geen commentaar. Later yes, but not now.”

Also involved is Toby Alderweireld, the 127-cap Belgium international who captained Antwerp to a league-and-cup double in 2023 and has since retired. The consortium has been working behind the scenes for months, sources said, and is understood to include several Antwerp business families such as Donckers and Van Loon.

What happens next

It is not yet certain that the consortium will close a deal. Gheysens is still negotiating with foreign parties, and according to Het Laatste Nieuws the deadline with Fasanara could be extended by mutual agreement. Vandenhaute, who was forced out of Anderlecht in 2025 after repeated fan protests, would play a less operational role than he did at paars-wit, limiting himself to a board seat rather than day-to-day management. For Antwerp, which under Gheysens climbed back to the top of Belgian football with the 2023 title, the coming hours may determine whether a new ownership chapter begins.