Leeds United shareholders 49ers Enterprises are moving towards a full takeover of the club in the not-too-distant future. That’s according to a report by The Times, which claims the Americans have secured the funding required to be able to make such an investment.
The 49ers already own 44 per cent of the club’s shares with chairman Andrea Radrizzani holding the other 56 per cent. However, they do hold an option to buy out Radrizzani and become majority shareholders of the Yorkshire club in January 2024.
It seems a takeover is on the agenda for 49ers Enterprises, owned by the York family, with the report claiming they could be in a position to take action at the end of the season. The Whites are currently 12th in the Premier League table, but relegation is still a possibility and just two weeks ago Leeds were in the bottom three.
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As such, the 49ers are expected to wait until at least the end of the season in order to see what happens before reaching a full takeover agreement with Radrizzani. The investment arm of the NFL side San Francisco 49ers has had a strong influence at Elland Road since getting on board, with president Paraag Marathe, becoming the club’s vice-chairman.
49ers Enterprises initially bought into United back in May 2018, purchasing 10 per cent while the club were still in the Championship and hunting for promotion. In January 2021, they made the move to increase their stake to 37 per cent and that was increased again to 44 per cent in November.
The option to buy the club in 2024 has been no secret, with Radrizzani speaking openly about it to The Athletic as recently as August. As such, the topic has been raised regularly with supporters, but the news that the organisation is moving money around ahead suggests a full takeover is moving closer.
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