— Traffic Sports, the Brazilian soccer marketing conglomerate, is involved in active negotiations over the possible sale of the Carolina RailHawks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) along with first-division Portuguese side G.D. Estoril Praia.

The proposed sale of both clubs was reported by Relvado.com, which, citing unnamed sources, stated that a “pre-agreement” has been finalized in which Traffic Sports would sell their majority stake in Estoril to an investment group identified only as “the Fidelis company.” The same article asserts that an undefined ownership interest in the RailHawks is also part of this acquisition.

Traffic Sports USA, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Traffic Sports, is the majority stakeholder in the RailHawks. According to public filings with the North Carolina Secretary of State, Carh Holdings LLC is the RailHawks’ management company, and Carh Holdings’ managing member is Traffic Soccer Club LLC of Miami, Fla. Filings with the Florida Department of State list Traffic Sports USA, Inc. as the managing member of Traffic Soccer Club LLC.

The North Carolina filings list Aaron Davidson as a Director of Carh Holdings, while the Florida filings list Davidson as President of Traffic Soccer Club. Davidson is also President of Traffic Sports USA, Inc., as well as current Chairman of the NASL Board of Governors.

Speaking to WRALSportsFan.com last week from the CONCACAF Congress in the Bahamas, Davidson confirmed negotiations are taking place regarding the possible sale of Traffic Sports’ interest in Estoril and the Carolina RailHawks.

“These discussions are real,” Davidson said. “In this case, a foreign partner looked at our Portuguese team and understood that we have the U.S. team [the RailHawks] and got interested in both.”

Davidson was unable to specifically identify the proposed buyers, as primary negotiations are being handled through Traffic Sports’ principal office in Brazil. However, he did state that the proposed buyers comprise a British investment group, with some members originally hailing from outside England.

Davidson also acknowledged that FidelisWorld, a Dubai-based sports, media and entertainment group, has been mentioned to him as part of these ongoing investment negotiations. Any fiduciary link between it and the British investment group remains unknown.

Davidson cautioned no sale of Traffic Sports’ interest in the RailHawks has been finalized. Moreover, any new investors would have to be financially vetted through the NASL and approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Indeed, Davidson said this investment group may acquire controlling interest in Estoril without a package deal that includes the RailHawks.

“We’re moving along more significantly on the European side than this side,” Davidson said. “And we don’t have information on how the [ownership] structure might be if they were to come into the U.S. And even once we have a structure, we have to figure out, first of all, do they pass muster for our league standards and then what level of participation they’ll have.”

Davidson also said it’s unknown whether this sale would involve a majority or minority interest in the RailHawks. When asked specifically whether the potential sale included a majority stake in the club, Davidson responded, “It just depends on how the discussions go. Right now there’s nothing defined.”

The RailHawks have been courting NC-based minority investors since Traffic Sports became the team’s owner in 2011. This is the first public acknowledgment of other foreign investment interest in the RailHawks as well as Traffic Sports’ willingness to entertain divesting their majority stake in the Cary-based club.

“It’s definitely in discussion and could happen,” Davidson said about the prospective RailHawks sale. “What’s the ultimate structure of it and our minority/majority involvement I’m sure not yet.”

If Traffic Sports divested their majority ownership in Estoril and the RailHawks, it would culminate the corporation’s gradual shift away from club investment and ownership. Traffic Sports formerly held majority stakes in the Atlanta Silverbacks and Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL. Traffic sold their interest in the Silverbacks in 2013, and last year sold their majority ownership of the Strikers to a trio of Brazilian investors. In November 2014, Traffic Sports sold their ownership in Brazilian youth club Desportivo Brasil and its soccer academy to a Chinese business consortium that owns and operates the Chinese Super League team Shandong Luneng.