By George Overhill

26th May, 2023 | 5:40pm

Leeds United takeover update: Andrea Radrizzani and 49ers plan unresolved amid 'very strange' Sampdoria situation - Phil Hay

Andrea Radrizzani and 49ers Enterprises have still not agreed a plan of action if Leeds United go down while the Italian has been preoccupied in his home country with Sampdoria, Phil Hay reports.

The Athletic journalist has called the ownership situation “the key issue” heading into the final weekend of the season, with the odds heavily stacked against the Whites’ in terms of staying the Premier League and an “unbelievably intense” six-week period on the horizon.

Despite Sam Allardyce needing a win, and for results in Everton’s and Leicester’s games needing to go his way, to stay up Radrizzani has been filmed outside the Sampdoria training ground amid involvement in an attempted rescue bid, yet Hay doesn’t believe there is yet clarity back at Elland Road on plans for the club he currently has control of.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show (26 May, 18m 35s) he said of the Whites owner spotted on Italy: “It’s a very strange image isn’t it? In the week where the club you do actually own in England are going down or look like they’re about to go down.

“Sampdoria have been relegated from Serie A, they are in an incredible mess. Major debts, major problems, huge implications from those debts potentially as well.”

Of interest in Inter he went on: “I don’t think the people fielding offers can really see how it is that Radrizzani would put that sort of bid together. But Sampdoria do fall more into his price-range, and people will have seen reports on Thursday of his old friends QSI getting involved Qatari Sports Investment, of which their chairman Radrizzani is a close associate, friend of.

“So the assumption here is if Radrizzani was to sell Leeds, they do Sampdoria, he moves on and that’s his next project and everything goes from there.

“[But] as it is, and I’m checking on this fairly regularly, I still don’t think there is an agreement in place about what is to happen if Leeds go down about whether 49ers Enterprises are definitely buying, what price they’re buying at, how this is all going to shake down.

“But it absolutely has to be resolved one way or the other because the next five or six weeks, assuming Leeds are relegated, are going to be unbelievably intense and busy… you have just basically everything to deal with, absolutely everything.”

Back to front

Logically, if Radrizzani is so focused on the Sampdoria issue and not the one at Leeds United then it would seem like he is preparing to sell up and move on either way.

But unless there is a deal in place to get that done quickly as a Championship side, just as there is one if they somehow stay in the Premier League, it is going to waste valuable time during a crucial period.

It is strange enough that there is still so little clarity regarding the Whites if the eventuality that currently looks most likely – relegation – comes about.

But the added element of attempting to buy another club in the very same week his current one might go down to scupper his long-agreed plans looks bizarre.

The season itself has been chaotic enough for the fans to witness and unless something gets tied up quickly, or there is an incredible escape on the final day, it appears that it is going to continue in the coming weeks.

If relegated the club appears to be in a reasonable position financially to take the hit, but that doesn’t mean such an advantage should be squandered in terms of undercutting an immediate attempt at returning to the top flight by missing out on possible managerial or player targets because it hasn’t yet been agreed who is in charge.

Whatever happens with Sampdoria, surely Radrizzani’s top priority needs to be the Whites for until their future is resolved.

In other Leeds United news, a group of BBC pundits are shocked at Allardyce’s actions ahead of the Tottenham game.