Massimo Cellino will quit as disgraced Leeds owner after copping 18-month football ban and £250,000 fine
Controversial Italian owner says he was 'surprised' by reports he would fall foul of FA rules
MASSIMO CELLINO will give up control of Leeds following his 18-month FA ban.
The Elland Road owner is in advanced talks to sell a 50 per cent stake in the Championship club to fellow Italian Andrea Radrizzani. And SunSport understands a deal should go through before Christmas.
Radrizzani, 42, was in town on Saturday to watch the 2-0 win over Aston Villa. The deal is being funded by his Aser Media investment vehicle.
Keep up to date with ALL the Leeds United news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
Once the buyout is completed, Radrizzani is set to give the club valuable funds before next month’s transfer window, which would help to tie up the long-term future of star players Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernandez.
Cellino and Leeds have also been fined £250,000 after being charged with breaching the FA’s football agent rules over the £11m sale of Ross McCormack to Fulham in 2014.
Businessman Cellino, 60, values Leeds at £60million — £43m plus £17m of debts.
He has already turned down two offers to buy the club outright because he is keen to remain involved.
The former Cagliari owner is so desperate to reach the Premier League he is even willing to sit out his lengthy ban.
Talks with Radrizzani have been going on for several months.
Unlike Cellino, he has no skeletons in his closet and is expected to easily pass the Football League’s owners’ and directors’ test.
MP Damian Collins, the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, told SunSport he hoped any ban would be properly policed by the FA.
When Cellino was banned by the Football League in October 2015 following a tax conviction, he returned to his home in Miami. A month later the ban was deferred and he was acquitted on appeal earlier this year.
At the time of the ban manager Neil Redfearn claimed the Italian continued to interfere in team affairs and was even behind the sacking of his assistant Steve Thompson — allegations Cellino denied.
Collins added: “I am concerned when I hear stories like that. I hope the FA is robust in administering the ban this time, should the appeal fail.
“It should not be the case that proxy directors are put in charge of a club while a banned owner continues to exert influence.”
Garry Monk is the seventh manager in the 2½ years Cellino has been owner.
The Italian arrived in Yorkshire in April 2014 under a cloud and has continued in the same vein.
He was initially barred by the Football League after failing their owners’ and directors’ test but won on appeal.
He was found guilty in the unfair dismissal cases of welfare officer Lucy Ward and former assistant Nigel Gibbs.
The FA are still looking into the Ward case and could hit Cellino with yet another ban.