Spanish outlet Marca reported last December that Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani was keen to oversee a takeover of La Liga giants Valencia.
The Italian knows the club president Anil Murthy, and The Athletic’s Phil Hay recently claimed that his desire to own such a club has always been real.
The Leeds owner would love to invest in another club, but it does not appear that it will be Valencia given the latest developments.
According to Spanish outlet A Punt, the Prince of Johor has reached an agreement to buy the club from current owner Peter Lim, and the sale is expected to be processed on Monday.
Lim is more than keen to sell his stakes having fallen out of favour with the fans, and while Radrizzani considered the possibility of buying the club, there were doubts over whether the Leeds owner could finance a takeover.
It was claimed that he could be backed by American funds to allow him to clear the club’s current debts, but it appears that he has moved on.
He has recently been linked with Serie C club Palermo, but his Aser investment group has since rebutted the claims.
The businessman helped Leeds return to the top-flight last summer after arriving at Elland Road in January 2017 to buy 50% of the club’s shares.
Radrizzani bought the remaining 50% shares from previous co-owner Massimo Cellino four months later and completed the purchase of Elland Road the following month, making the stadium the property of Leeds for the first time since 2004.
NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers have since upped their stake in Leeds to 37% last month, with £23 million injected into the club’s accounts as a result.
Radrizzani wants to form a multi-club ownership model in Europe, and while landing Valencia would have been huge, he has been advised to consider clubs in Belgium and Portugal, and it will be interesting to see what steps he takes next going forward.
In other news, Leeds are reportedly keeping tabs on a Portuguese manager as Marcelo Bielsa’s potential replacement.
