According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the Qatari Sports Investment group (QSI) remain interested in Leeds United. A photo was circulated back in January of the relevant parties seemingly dining together in London, however, since then, things have gone quiet – leading many to believe any interest had disappeared.
Phil Hay claims that isn’t the case and that the Qatari group are still lingering in the background although they are not close to securing any deal with the current ownership. It could be, according to the journalist, that QSI would be looking to make an initial investment with a view to a full-buyout later down the line.
Will we see a takeover occur in the summer?
Yes
No
Here’s what one fan asked:
“Is there any latest news on the supposed Qatar Investment and would Radrizzani sell all of the club or just a percentage?”
Here was Hay’s response:
“That’s gone quiet for a while. They’re still in the background but I suspect that we might not hear any more until the summer. Radrizzani seems intent on staying but that will be more difficult for him financially if Leeds don’t go up. When I last asked about QSI, I was told this – they are interested, they are in the background but they’re still a long way from actually getting anything done. It sounded to me like they would look at an initial investment with a view to a full buy-out. But don’t forget that the 49ers have a stake here too and might be equally interested in increasing it.
TIF Tactics
Andrea Radrizzani became the co-owner of Leeds United in January 2017 when he bought 50% of the club. Just four months later, the Italian businessman took full control when he acquired the shares held by Massimo Cellino.
The following summer, the Whites appointed Marcelo Bielsa as their coach and have been on the up ever since, narrowly missing out on promotion last season. As the club look to put right the mistakes of last season and restore the club to its former glories, you can understand why Qatari investment would be appealing to the fans.
Leeds United currently occupy second place and hold a three-point lead over Fulham in third. As detailed in Hay’s post, there is unlikely to be any news prior to the summer so the fans will need to sit tight, focus on helping their team secure promotion and the topic can be revisited then.