49ers Enterprises set to buy EPL club Leeds United

49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the 49ers, "has a deal in place" to buy EPL club Leeds United for a total price in excess of US$530M. An option exists for 100% "control of Leeds to pass to 49ers Enterprises by January 2024." Leeds has been majority owned by Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani for four and a half seasons. Radrizzani sold an initial 10% of Leeds to 49ers Enterprises in '18 and that minority shareholding "has since risen to 44 per cent, with the most recent increase of seven per cent coming last month." Though January '24 has been set as the deadline for the transition, sources have said that a buy-out is "likely to come sooner." It is "possible that Radrizzani will retain a small minority stake" (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/6).