Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani 'locked in talks' to sell club after Premier League relegation - The Mirror 30/5/23
Just days after being relegated from the Premier League Leeds United may well start life back in the Sky Bet Championship with new owners who already own a well-established NFL side
ByLiam Llewellyn
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani is in talks with the
49ers Enterprises over the sale of the club.
He purchased the club in October 2017 and now the American
group, who already own 44% of the club, want to buy the rest of it in a deal
that could prove to be worth £500m ($619,335). Negotiations are said to be at
an advanced stage after the 48-year-old flew to the US late last week to
finalise a revised deal.
The American group, which owns NFL side the San Francisco
49ers, wants to acquire the remaining 56% stake from the Italian, but not at
the price they had previously agreed. This is because that fee was discussed on
the condition that the Whites avoided relegation from the Premier League.
But following a 4-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on
the final day of the season, a game Radrizzani did not attend, Leeds finished
19th and were relegated to the Championship after a three-year stint in the top
flight.
Advanced negotiations over Radrizzani selling are now
ongoing, accoring to Sky Sports. Football finance expert Keiran Maguire has
explained how Leeds’ relegation will impact a possible takeover.
"There will be an impact. That will have been factored
into the price the 49ers were willing to pay,” he told Sky Sports. "There
are rumours Andrea Radrizzani, the Leeds owner, is looking to buy Sampdoria. I
think we will see an announcement in terms of Leeds accelerate.
"Whatever's going to happen to Leeds over the summer,
it's absolutely essential we have owners in place who can set a budget, stick
to that budget and make key decisions in terms of management and player
recruitment."
Sky Sports have reported that once the takeover has come to
fruition, Radrizzani plans to oversee a transition period along with the club’s
chief executive Angus Kinnear.
Kinnear is expected to stay in his role until the end of the
net season with his priorities being to recruit a new coach and sporting
director. Reports suggest Leeds are already assessing their options as they
search for the right candidate to become the new manager at Elland Road.
The club looks set to replace Sam Allardyce after he picked
up just one point and conceded 11 goals in his four games in charge. Following
the confirmation of Leeds returning to the Championship, the club released a
statement apologising to their fans.
“Everyone connected with Leeds United is deeply disappointed
by the club’s relegation back to the Sky Bet Championship, after three seasons
in the Premier League," they wrote.
“Relegation is painful, and we apologise to our fanbase that
the performances this season have not seen the club consolidate our status as
we had all hoped. However, Leeds United remains in a strong position to build a
team that can challenge for promotion from the Championship next season.”
