Brighton chairman Tony Bloom is expanding his football empire into Belgium.

Bloom has taken a majority stake in Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

"I am very happy that I got the opportunity to invest in a traditional club like Union, with such a past. Union Saint-Gilloise is part of the history of Belgian football, and has had great successes in the past," declared gaming millionaire Bloom.

"We are therefore impatient to continue to build on this and to bring new success to the numerous fans.

"I am also very happy that Jürgen Baatzsch remains on board as chairman of the Club.

"His leadership will be important to make even more progress with Union."

Because Bloom already holds board positions at Brighton, he will not take an official role at Union.