Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is the president of PSG and heads up Qatari Sports Investments (QSI), is believed to have met with Daniel Levy in London last week as the owners of the French club turn their attention towards the Premier League.
Although it is unclear whether there is interest in a potential stake in Tottenham, Al-Khelaifi holds a working relationship with the Spurs chairman, with the former acting as the current president of the European Club Association, while the latter is a member of its executive board.
The Premier League’s mammoth commercial pull and global outreach makes for an attractive investment opportunity for prospective owners, should one arise. With two of English football’s biggest clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United, both said to be seeking investors at this moment in time, this may well present an opportunity too good to pass up for QSI.
Currently, QSI’s relatively small portfolio of football clubs is limited to PSG, whom they are the controlling owners, and Portuguese side Braga where they own a minority stake.
🚨🚨QSI remain fully committed to PSG but they want to add to their multi-club model in order to compete with City Football Group and other ambitious European owners. QSI are still assessing multiple clubs, the Premier League is of significant appeal to them. [@JacobsBen] pic.twitter.com/c4IjOZIpSU
— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) January 8, 2023
However, the global sporting superpower, who have funded an overwhelming period of success in Ligue 1 with eight titles, are said to be keen on infiltrating the Premier League as its stock continues to rise exponentially.
Of the 20 teams competing this season, half are owned or part-owned by American investors, with just three investors originating from the Middle East – Fulham’s Shahid Khan, Newcastle’s takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, as well as Manchester City’s long-term affiliation with the Abu Dhabi United Group.
Manchester United owners the Glazer family are thought to be inviting offers for a takeover worth in the region of £5bn, while fellow American owners Fenway Sports Group, who have been at the helm of Liverpool since 2010, are also considering new shareholders with a deal expected to be in excess of £4bn.
Tech giants Apple, as well as E-commerce conglomerate Amazon have also both expressed interest in Manchester United.
Following the World Cup in Qatar, many within the Arab world and beyond expected QSI to take a step back from potential investment opportunities, but this latest development suggests otherwise and the initial meeting with Tottenham‘s Daniel Levy may well have sparked their interest into life.
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