Who owns Leeds United? Club reportedly sold to San Francisco 49ers Enterprises, owners of American NFL team

After relegation from the Premier League was confirmed in 2022/23, Leeds United are set to embark on a new chapter of the club's history, as widespread reports indicate that owner Andrea Radrizzani has worked out a deal to sell his full stake in the club.

According to reports, American consortium 49ers Enterprises will own 100 percent of the club after a deal with Radrizzani. The U.S. company was already a significant investor in the club before the takeover.

It further increases the American influence at Leeds, who already have three U.S. internationals currently on the roster in Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, and Weston McKennie, although their future with the club is in serious doubt after relegation. They also had American manager Jesse Marsch in charge for 12 months, but his time at the club ended when he was sacked in February 2023.

Ahead of a summer during which major changes are expected, the new owners will bring a fresh direction to the club, even if they've been around behind the scenes for some time now.

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49ers Enterprises net worth, chairman

49ers Enterprises is an American consortium which currently owns the NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers.

The chairman of the consortium is Denise DeBartolo York, a 72-year-old American billionaire who is the daughter of construction magnate Edward DeBartolo Sr. Her son, Jed York, is the CEO and president of the San Francisco 49ers and heir to the family fortune.

It was Edward DeBartolo Sr. who purchased the 49ers in 1977 for $13 million, and gave the team to his son, Edward DeBartolo Jr. The younger DeBartolo ran the team for a time, but in 2000 he ceded control to his sister due to mounting legal and financial troubles. The NFL team is now estimated to be worth $5.2 billion.

Forbes estimates the DeBartolo and York family has a net worth of $5.1 billion. DeBartolo York's husband, John York, is the founder of DeYor Laboratories, an Ohio-based pathological research facility, which he eventually sold to Corning.

The family are not the only members of 49ers Enterprises. Reports state that the consortium is a conglomerate of more than 60 investors, including 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe, and Australian billionaire Peter Lowry, who is an outspoken Leeds supporter.

Marathe and Lowry are both already serving on the Leeds board. It is also thought that NBA player Larry Nance, Jr. is a part of the deal, having tweeted a photo of himself inside the club's stadium at Elland Road.

Prior to the 2023 takeover of Leeds, 49ers Enterprises owned a 44 percent stake in the club. They initially purchased a 15 percent stake in 2018, and increased that gradually over the years. They are now set to take 100 percent ownership of the club following the impending sale, according to reports.

How much is Leeds worth?

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Radrizzani had valued the club at £420 million ($522 million), but that was prior to relegation from the Premier League in 2022/23.

Relegation cost Radrizzani dearly. The Daily Mail report states that after the drop to the second tier, the valuation of the club was slashed nearly in half to £220 million ($273 million). With a deal previously in place to sell the club prior to the end of the 2022/23 season, relegation reportedly led to fierce negotiations between the parties as they re-evaluated the club's financials. After 10 days of discussions, the deal was reportedly salvaged.

In the days leading up to the sale, it was widely reported that Radrizzani had agreed to buy Italian club Sampdoria, and that he had used Elland Road as a security for a £26 million loan as part of the deal, which agitated the Leeds fanbase.

The Daily Mail report states that amidst the fierce backlash to the move both internally and externally, Radrizzani eventually acquired Sampdoria without using Elland Road as collateral, which went a long way toward allowing the deal with 49ers Enterprises to be completed.

Why did Andrea Radrizzani sell Leeds?

Three days after relegation from the Premier League was confirmed in May 2023, Radrizzani publicly apologised to fans, saying that they "made some mistakes" and that "change was needed."

“We have made significant investments to try to keep Leeds United in the Premier League," Radrizzani said in a statement, "but in working hard to improve the club, we have also obviously made some mistakes. We are reflecting on the decisions that we have taken to ensure we learn the lessons to improve our club and make progress in the future.

“Leeds supporters deserve more than this. You understand the journey on which we have embarked, and I hope that once the anger and disappointment has subsided you will see that we can come back stronger.

“We have invested heavily in Leeds United since 2017 and worked hard to get back to where the club deserves to be. With the support of our partners, we can continue that journey to bounce back.

“I am proud of the progress we have made in recent years. We have become a club that can attract exciting players, we are strong commercially, we have seen improvements to the academy, introduced a women’s side and so much more. In many ways the club has been transformed and we are committed and determined to continue on this journey.

“I do not like to make false promises, there is still a lot of work to do and change is needed. We need a clear strategy to continue our vision for the club and work is underway to produce this which we hope will be reflected in some key appointments in different areas of the club. We will keep you all updated throughout the process.”

In the wake of relegation, the club now needs a new manager and a new sporting director, as both Sam Allardyce and Victor Orta have since departed.

Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams

MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo

UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.

USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).