Saudi Arabia government official Turki Alalshikh’s investment deal into Derby County could be finalised as early as next week.
Alalshikh, co-founder of boxing promotion company Zuffa, is interested in buying a stake in the Championship club and there has been a deal on the table with English football’s independent regulator since May.
With final checks set to take place, his investment is expected to be given the green light in the coming days, BBC Radio Derby reports.
The proposed deal had raised concerns among human rights campaigners, including Amnesty International, which last month said the independent regulator faced a “defining test” over the investment.
Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority – and someone who is close to the Kingdom’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman – has been criticised by human rights groups for his role in alleged ‘sportswashing’.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sports to improve its image in the wider world to distract from its human rights record, treatment of women, use of the death penalty and its anti-LGBT stance.
As well as being the owner of Egyptian club Pyramids between 2018 and 2019, Alalshikh recently owned Spanish side Almeria but sold the club to an investment group from Saudi Arabia last May.
The Independent Football Regulator, Derby County and Alalshikh have all declined to comment.
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