Latest: Saudis plan Sampdoria takeover
Sporting director Walter Sabatini is reported to have gone to visit the Jedda team and its CEO Khamis Al-Zahrani. While he initially dismissed the meeting as a courtesy call, it then traspires that Sabatini has become a consultant for the Saudi club.
Al-Zahrani is alleged to have asked Sabatini to test the waters, and to sound out Ferrero on a possible sale.
Repubblica journalist Renzo Parodi confirmed the scoop, saying that they did indeed ask Sabatini to send feelers.
That said, “a possible interest in Sampdoria has been denied by the club. Then again, the noises backing up the story are hardly lacking.”
There are a couple of problems: Ferrero believes a club worth 180% of its turnover, and he believes that Samp bring in €100 million, meaning he’d sell for almost double that.
There is an obstacle, namely a recent law approved by Prince Mohammed bin Salman which regulates and limits the exportation of capital. According to Parodi, however, “the obstacle isn’t insurmountable, and my sources tell me that there is work underway to remove it.”