Graham Smyth shares key Leeds-QSI update with new Radrizzani-49ers deal ‘inevitable’

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth has all-but destroyed speculation about QSI potentially taking control of Leeds United from Andrea Radrizzani.

In September, The Financial Times reported that “one adviser to QSI said it continued to be interested in acquiring Leeds outright” and Andrea Radrizzani has “rejected takeover offers in recent weeks, but is willing to sell a minority stake in the club at a £270m-£300m valuation”.

However, Smyth has reported that no official bid has been made for Leeds by QSI, who have not done any due diligence and not even gone to Elland Road.

Writing in a Q&A session on the Yorkshire Evening Post website on Wednesday, Smyth said: “They never made an official bid and never did any due diligence or visited Elland Road to look at the books, but they are the kind of outfit who could take the lot, lock, stock and barrel without worrying too much about the present state of club finances.”

Smyth also shared a major update on 49ers, who currently own a minority share at Leeds.

The Sun reported last month that 49ers president Paraag Marathe is ready to increase his current 10 per cent stake in the Premier League club.

According to Smyth, Radrizzani is very likely to do further business with Marathe soon.

“The 49ers seem to get lost in any takeover talk, despite already having their feet firmly under the table. It seems inevitable that they will up their stake this season at some point, too.”

It seems crazy that there’s still talk about a takeover from QSI rumbling on.

Every now and then a story pops up, like the Financial Times one, and more often than not, one of the local journalists rubbished what they say.

While we’re not going to say the local reporters are more in-the-know than those at national news outlets, it just feels as though the QSI thing isn’t going to happen because nothing serious has really happened so far.

You get the odd quote from Radrizzani saying that he is open to further investment but why would he need outside investment when he’s already made a partnership with Marathe, who seems keen on increasing his foothold at Leeds.

Leeds don’t seem as though they need new investment based on how much money they spent in the last transfer window and with Marcelo Bielsa in charge, they won’t need to keep on spending huge sums of money each year based on the work he’s done with what were originally seen as average Championship players.