“From Pride Park to Riyadh”- Saudi Billionaires Eye Derby County as Championship Clubs Join Premier League Gold Rush
Latest Derby County news from DerbyshireLive brings you news of a bid by clubs to lure one of the most powerful men in boxing to invest in English football
Championship clubs and at least one team in the Premier League are trying to lure Saudi Arabian billionaire Turki Alalshikh into investment, according to a report.
Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol says clubs are turning to Saudi in a bid to strike it rich and help them win promotion to the Premier League.
Alalshikh has a number of business interests and has transformed the sport of boxing by putting on a host of incredible shows in the Middle East.
He has also revived Ring Magazine and has become the most powerful person in the sport.
He is yet to invest in English football but according to Solhekol, there are clubs that are hoping to catch his eye.
He said: “Championship clubs and at least one Premier League club have approached Saudi Arabian billionaire Turki Alalshikh seeking investment.
“The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority has a wide range of business interests but has never invested in English football.
“That could be about to change with a growing number of Championship clubs attempting to attract Saudi investors to help them win promotion to the Premier League.
“Alalshikh has become one of the most influential powerbrokers in sport after staging some of boxing’s biggest bouts.
“Until last week he also owned Spanish club Almeria. He bought them in a £20m deal in the summer of 2019. Ownership of the club was transferred to Saudi investment group SMC last Friday.”
Numerous clubs in the Championship are open to investment with Derby among them with owner David Clowes open to selling 80 per cent of his shares.
But other clubs are hoping to attract the kind of cash that can help give them the finances needed to compete with the teams relegated from the Premier League, which have the benefit of millions in parachute payments.
Derby have had discussions with interested parties as part of their long-term plan to compete for a place in the Premier League.
