Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani threatens to lose £270M if the club is relegated and the minority owners San Francisco 49ers are unwilling to pay more than £150m to take overall control of the club in the Championship
- Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani threatens to lose up to £270m if they are relegated
- Due to a spectacular collapse in their potential resale value to minority owners
- Club is also financially well protected against relegation
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani is at risk of losing up to £270 million if Javi Gracia’s side are relegated this season over a possible seismic collapse in their sales value.
The club’s minority shareholders, the San Francisco 49ers, have an option to take full control of Elland Road in a deal worth £420 million, but that price only applies if they stay in the Premier League.
The 49ers Enterprises see Leeds as a long-term investment and would remain interested in completing the takeover even if they were in the Championship, but in the event of relegation the club would be worth just £150m.
The NFL franchise first bought into Leeds five years ago and currently owns 44 percent of the club, as well as an option to take overall control that expires in January.
That provisional sale deal was negotiated during the 2020/21 season, which saw Leeds fly high and finish ninth in the Premier League, with the £420 million price based on the club being firmly established in the top flight.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani threatens to lose £270 million if the club is relegated
Leeds are in serious danger of collapse after some poor recent results – including conceding 11 goals in just two home games
The deal for the San Francisco 49ers to buy the club for £420 million was based on their initial success under Marcelo Bielsa in the top flight
While no set price has been agreed for Leeds as a Championship club, sources with knowledge of the talks have told Mail Sport that the 49ers would pay no more than £150m outside the Premier League.
Radrizzani is under no obligation to sell under the existing agreement, but can still choose to do so as he has openly said he is not prepared to provide the money needed to take Leeds to the next level , and is also said to be interesting to buy Inter Milan.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, published last December, Radrizzani said Leeds “needed more resources to reach higher levels and compete with the best clubs in the Premier League.”
The 49ers’ purchase option expires midway through next season, so in the event of relegation Radrizzani would have to renegotiate the whole deal if he chose to wait for Leeds to regain Premier League status. Another option for the Italian would be to agree to a cheap sale in exchange for securing bonuses if Leeds are subsequently promoted.
Leeds narrowly survived relegation with a win over Brentford on the final day of last season and were in deep trouble again after Monday’s 6-1 home defeat at the hands of Liverpool, with just two points separating them from the bottom three with seven games remaining. to go the season.
Leeds hover above the drop zone after a poor run and have a tough run of games to finish the season
Gracia’s side also face a daunting list of matches in their fight for survival, with games against relegation rivals Leicester, Bournemouth and West Ham and Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham at the other end of the table.
While Radrizzani would lose Leeds as a club is well placed to cope financially in case of relegation.
Gracia’s players all have relegation clauses in their contracts stipulating significant wage cuts in the Championship, while money could also be raised from the sale of Italian striker Wilfried Gnoto, who is valued at £3m just nine months after his £3m signing from FC Zurich 30 million. .
In addition, the club also has strong commercial revenues and a waiting list for season tickets.