PSG owner Nasser al-Khelaifi in talks to buy Leeds United
Jun 4, 2019 at 1:42 PM
Paris Saint Germain owner Nasser al-Khelaifi is reportedly interested in buying English Championship side Leeds United.
Billionaire Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is the chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and PSG’s current president, bought PSG in 2011 and has spent over a Billion euros since in the transfer market. PSG have been excelling in the domestic league but have shown poor form in European competitions. PSG’s failure in Europe has led Nasser’s eyes on English football and had previously entered in talks to buy a stake in the Yorkshire club and Nottingham Forest.
However, the Qatari businessman is now set to meet the owner of Leeds, Radrizzani and manager Marcelo Bielsa in Doha, to discuss a potential sale of the club, report highly respecting French publication L’equipe.
The deal would boost up Leeds United’s chances to qualify for the premier league, as in the investment would help them in transfer market. PSG youth players could be loaned to the English side as well.
Corruption Investigation on the Billionaire can complicate the move:
With an ongoing investigation on Nasser Al-Khelaifi on charges of corruption, the move can be complicated.
A French judicial official announced last month, that the PSG owner was the subject of a preliminary charge of “active corruption” relating to a $3.5million payment to an IAAF official regarding Qatar’s bids to host the 2017 and 2019 athletics World Championships.
The official said Khelaifi was suspected of corruption “in regards with Qatar’s track and field worlds”.
London won the 2017 bid but Qatar hosts the World Championships later this year.
French prosecutors allege Al-Khelaifi approved the payment, but his lawyers deny he was either a director or a shareholder of the company that the payment was made from at the time in 2011. They say he only had shares in the company between 2013 and 2016.
In a statement Al-Khelaifi’s lawyers said the allegations were “inaccurate” and that he “had not validated any payment of any kind whatsoever” in relation to the allegations. Any potential purchaser of an English football club must pass a “fit and proper person” test before being cleared to do so.