Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani is reportedly set to sell his company Eleven Sports to Len Blavatnik’s DAZN, according to New York Times reporter Tariq Panja. He claims a deal could be concluded as early as this week, though the financial terms of the deal are yet to be discloused.
Radrizzani is the chairman and founder of the international sports broadcaster, which he launched back in 2015. Eleven has channels in several different countries including the UK, Portugal, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Taiwan and Myanmar. Leeds visited the latter for a post-season friendly back in 2018.
It has right to a number of European football’s elite competitions, with the Premier League, Champions League, Serie A, Bundesliga and La Liga among them. According to a list published by Forbes in March 2022, prospective buyer Blavatnik has a wealth of $35.4 billion, which makes him somewhere between the 20th and 33rd richest person in the world.
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Radrizzani’s sale of Eleven will not have a direct impact on his ownership of Leeds, as these are separate business ventures under his Aser umbrella. The Italian currently has a 56% majority stake in Leeds, with San Francisco 49ers Enterprises owning the remaining 44%.
The 49ers have an option to become the majority shareholder in 2024, but Radrizzani reiterated his commitment to the club during an interview with the Athletic earlier this month. He said: “There is no need to change. I’m happy. I dream to bring this club to play in Europe and then I’m happy to leave — so still some work to do here.
“We are very good friends with the 49ers, they are a solid partner, they let you work in peace and they are supportive. In this moment, there is nothing under discussion.
“They have, as you know, an option to take a majority in 2024. Maybe before or at that moment, something will be discussed. At this moment, we are super happy.”
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