Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the owner of French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain, is looking into purchasing the Italian club Sampdoria, with Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani’s Aser Ventures a potential partner.
“QSI is exploring investment opportunities in Sampdoria, including with Aser,” a QSI representative confirmed Sportico.
More from Sportico.com
QSI would have a minority stake in Radrizzani’s consortium that bid for the club, which was recently relegated from Serie A, the top flight of Italian soccer, to the second division. The news was first reported on Friday L’Equipe.
Last week, the CEO of Gestio Capital, Radrizzani’s asset management fund, told an Italian newspaper that they presented a bid for the Genoa-based club.
Radrizzani and QSI are the only bidders to declare their intention publicly.
The sale process is expected to take at least six weeks, people familiar with the matter said Sporticoin part because of Sampdoria’s high level of debt.
A QSI stake in Sampdoria would look similar to the deal the Qatari investment company struck last year with the Portuguese first-division club, SL Braga. In addition to a 30% stake in the Portuguese club and Ligue 1 leader PSG, QSI owns Qatar Premier Padel, a high-profile global padel tour.
Radrizzani, the founder and chairman of Aser, owns the controlling 56% stake in Leeds United. The venture arm of the San Francisco 49ers, 49ers Enterprises, owns 44% of the team and has the option to buy the Italian businessman’s stake, according to someone familiar with the details who was granted anonymity because the matter is private. Leeds’ spot in the English Premier League is in jeopardy, and the team could be relegated depending on the outcomes of the season’s final matches on Sunday.
Best of Sportico.com
Click here to read the full article.