‘No surprise’ – Phil Hay responds to question over potential QSI takeover
Phil Hay has claimed that it would be “no surprise” if something happened between Leeds United and potential buyers QSI “at some stage”.
The Athletic journalist suggested during a Q&A on Thursday afternoon that any kind of deal between current owner Andrea Radrizzani and the Qatari state investors was still “nowhere near being close”, but hinted at a possible agreement at some point in the future.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his consortium have been linked with the Whites since a piece from the Financial Times broke news of their interest back in May 2019, and have been credited with a possible purchase as recently as this month.
But while Hay has admitted that any kind of deal is unlikely to be concluded in the near future, he did stop short of ruling out the prospect completely.
Answering a question on the likelihood of a takeover, the reporter said: “It’s very hard to say.
“That rumour continues to float around but whenever I speak to anyone on either side (Leeds or QSI), it sounds nowhere near being close.
“But given how well Radrizzani and Al-Khelaifi know each other (and the way in which both of them keep giving this story legs) it would be no surprise if something happened at some stage.”
A potential investment from QSI could be massive for Leeds in terms of boosting their financial capabilities.
The consortium is a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, which is reported to be worth around £277 billion, and given the transformative job they have helped to enact at their other footballing project, French giants PSG, it’s hard not to be at least somewhat excited by that kind of wealth.
Al-Khelaifi, who fronts up the organisation, is a major player in the upper echelons of the professional game too, and was named the most influential person in football by France Football just this month.
Factor in Radrizzani’s own admission that he is open to a potential deal in some form or other, and Hay’s assessment seems entirely justified – it won’t be today, it won’t be tomorrow, but this could definitely happen at some point.
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