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- Recently relegated Sampdoria facing Serie B points deduction after failing to pay wages
- Radrizzani-owned Leeds United could get future QSI investment
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the owner of French soccer giants Paris Saint-Germain, is in advanced talks to join Andrea Radrizzani as a minority partner in the takeover of Italian club Sampdoria, according to L’Équipe.
Sampdoria have been relegated to the second-tier Serie B and are in dire financial straits, having been unable to pay €13.5 million (US$14.5 million) owed in wages for the past three months. Should the club miss the 30th May deadline for the payment, it will be hit with a four-point penalty for next season. Bankruptcy could result in Sampdoria having to start over from the bottom of the Italian soccer pyramid.
Radrizzani, owner of relegation-threatened Premier League side Leeds United, is involved in the potential Sampdoria takeover through the Gestio Capital asset management fund, which submitted an offer for the club last week.
L’Équipe reports that QSI is poised to take a minority stake in Sampdoria should the Radrizzani-backed bid succeed. The French outlet adds that PSG’s owner could also invest in Leeds further down the line, having been linked with investing in Spanish club Malaga and Brazil’s Santos. QSI expanded its network of teams by purchasing a stake in Portugal’s SC Braga last October.
Radrizzani has owned Leeds since 2017 but 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the National Football League’s (NFL) San Francisco 49ers, has the option to take control of the club in January 2024, after acquiring an initial 15 per cent stake in the Yorkshire outfit in 2018.
According to reports, 49ers Enterprises tried to complete a takeover of Leeds this season but the club’s potential relegation has complicated matters, given the original value of the deal in place was contingent on Leeds staying in the top flight.
Radrizzani’s Aser Ventures, meanwhile, was reportedly mulling a bid for Italian giants Inter Milan, who have reached the Uefa Champions League final for the first time since 2010.
