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Investors lining up to back Leeds plans

Investors are lining up to back the ambitious plans of Leeds United according to owner Andrea Radrizzani in an interview with the Financial Times Weekend edition.  He has rejected takeover offers in recent weeks, but is willing to sell a minority stake in the club on the basis of a £270m - £300m valuation.

49ers Enterprise, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL team, has said it is willing to increase the 10 per cent stake it acquired in Leeds in 2018.

Last year Qatar Sports Investments, the state-backed group that owns Paris Saint-Germain, held investment talks with Mr Radrizzani.   It is thought to be still interested in acquiring Leeds outright.

Mr Radrizzani said that he is interested in creating a network of clubs like City Football Group or drinks manufacturer Red Bull that controls teams in Australia, Brazil, Germany and the US.  They would develop footballers that could eventually play for Leeds. He was evaluating teams in the top divisions of Italy, Spain and Portugal, although is no longer interested in Genoa.

Leeds has one of the biggest matchday attendances in England with its 38,000 seater stadium.  Covid-19 has meant a loss of £30m - £40m in revenue.   However, shirt sponsorship deals, including one with betting firm SBOTOP, have raised £9m-£10m this season.   The club hopes to raise a further £30m - £50m through a factoring deal - borrowing money from its future income from broadcasting rights.

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