Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani looks to be closing in on selling the club in the coming weeks, with the San Francisco 49ers discussing a new fee to buy the club.
Relegation looks all but confirmed this week for Leeds, with just one game left in the season and the Whites knowing they need to beat Tottenham while hoping that Everton lose at home to Bournemouth.
A major issue that needs to be resolved before the club can properly plan for a return to the Championship is finding a way to overcome the uncertainty of the San Francisco 49ers’ takeover.
Will the 49ers buy Leeds out?
Prior to this week, it seemed as though relegation would cast more doubt over the prospect of the 49ers Enterprises completing a buyout from Andrea Radrizzani.
An initial agreement saw the club valued at £475million in this proposed takeover, but that would of course plummet with Leeds dropping into the EFL.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has now reported that talks are ongoing between Radrizzani and the NFL franchise over a different arrangement to see the 49ers buy Leeds upon relegation:
“A deal for Radrizzani to sell to 49ers Enterprises is already in place should Leeds stay up but the Americans are keen on buying control regardless, and are actively discussing an arrangement which allows them to move to a majority position in the EFL.”
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Huge news for Leeds
It’s been coming for some time through pressure from the fans to see a change in leadership, given the three names leading the club this season have completely failed the fans.
Shocking investment, arrogance stemming from an overachievement in 2020/21, and a lack of long-term contingency plan for life after Marcelo Bielsa – all factors contributing to the failure that’s brought Leeds to the brink of relegation.
One is already out of the door in Victor Orta, and the Spaniard leaving earlier in May did start to suggest the end was nigh for his Italian counterpart, along with Angus Kinnear likely to follow and fans won’t be losing any sleep if he departs too.
With this takeover seemingly being pushed through as we speak, it does show the club have started to become a bit more proactive with getting their affairs in order for the Championship, and there’s a lot to do: