A new report by ESPN FC has claimed sources have told them that potential Leeds United investors QSI were ‘keen on’ QPR before deciding to focus on the Whites.
QSI and Leeds United have been going back and forth for a while now, but the Qatari investment company seem the most likely to make an official offer for the club, or at least inject some January funds. Sources have told ESPN FC that QSI ‘are getting a step closer to a takeover.‘ These latest developments would suggest there could be some extremely positive news for many Peacocks fans.
Qatar Sports Investments’ (QSI) portfolio consists of Paris Saint-Germain, Burrda Sport and NextStep Marketing. Obviously, the standout name amongst the portfolio is PSG, with the French football giants owning players such as Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
According to QSI’s website, their one aim for PSG was: ‘To take Paris Saint-Germain to the summits of the European game, having already transformed Les Rouge et Bleu into the most successful French club in history.’ Perhaps they have similar long-term plans for Leeds, especially if the Peacocks can gain promotion to the Premier League this season.
According to beIN Media Group’s website, Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a former ATP ranked tennis player and is also President of the Qatar Tennis Federation and Vice President of the Asian Tennis Federation for West Asia. In December 2013 Al-Khelaifi became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of beIN Media Group.
Al-Khelaifi started his TV career at Al Jazeera Sport in 2003 as Director of Rights Acquisitions, so he is clearly an intelligent businessman with all of this experience.
The source also told ESPN FC that QSI were ‘keen on Queens Park Rangers but decided to go for Leeds instead.’ Perhaps, it isn’t too surprising that they turned their attention to the Yorkshire outfit instead, with the west London side having an up and down season this year, and are currently sat 10th in the Championship so far this season.
Verdict
Leeds are seemingly getting closer and closer to a deal each day, however, no deal has happened just yet and with this being football, you can expect a few more twists and turns along the way. Andrea Radrizzani and Nasser al-Khelaifi are said to be ‘very close friends‘, so it’s safe to predict that if there is any deal it’ll likely be from QSI.
The fact that the Qatar based company were interested in acquiring QPR shows that they are keen to get their foot in the door with English football. Hopefully, they will look at Leeds as a project and will have the same aims of ‘reaching the summits of the European game‘ with the Whites, as it could be a potential game-changer for the side from LS11 in the future.