Leeds United co-owner Andrea Radrizzani confirms he will complete 100 per cent buy-out of club within next ten days
Italian already owns half the Championship club with countryman Massimo Cellino, who is set to leave English football after stormy three years
LEEDS UNITED co-owner Andrea Radrizzani has confirmed he will complete a 100 per cent buy-out of club within the next ten days.
The Italian already owns half the Championship club with countryman Massimo Cellino, who is set to leave English football after stormy three years.
Media rights mogul Radrizzani, who took 50 per cent in January, has been in talks for weeks with Cellino, and told Sardinian newspaper Corriere della Sera the deal will be completed within 10 days.
He said: "Within 10 days, at most two weeks, Leeds will be 100 per cent (mine)."
It has widely been believed that at the end of the season a deal for Radrizzani to buy Cellino out was on the table - but that has been sped up after Leeds failed to make the Championship playoffs.
Leeds confirmed last week that talks between the two parties were "on-going and positive" - and Radrizzani has already made steps to hire his own people to the club.
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He appointed Ivan Bravo to the board of the club, having previously been head of strategy at Real Madrid for seven years.
And West Ham’s managing director Angus Kinnear has also been recruited by Leeds to be their new chief executive.
Despite these impressive appointments, a question mark still looms over boss Garry Monk, whose position is up in the air.
The run of bad results towards the end of the season which saw Leeds fall away may prompt Radrizzani to move into a different direction – but sources at Elland Road and close to the Italian say he is minded to offer Monk a new deal.
Cellino himself has barely been seen at the club since appealing a ban from football handed to him in February - his third since becoming Leeds owner.
And the controversial Italian is rumoured to be in line to purchase Serie B club once he has cut all ties with Leeds.