Ewing Kauffman, co-owner of the Kansas City...

Ewing Kauffman, co-owner of the Kansas City Royals, has agreed to lend partner Avron Fogelman $34 million in a move that a club executive said could return complete ownership to Kauffman.

Fogelman bought 49% of the Royals in 1983 for $22 million, and later purchased another 1% to make him an equal partner.

But Fogelman, a Memphis businessman, is struggling to keep his real estate empire afloat, and creditors have said his share of the Royals is his best asset.

It is believed that Fogelman has put up his stock in the Royals as collateral for the loan. It is speculated that Fogelman will not repay the loan and that the stock will revert to Kauffman.