Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could miss out on a deal to take a majority share in Brazilian outfit Vasco Da Gama, with former Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani reportedly in advanced discussions to do the deal himself.
Radrizzani handed over control of Leeds to 49ers Enterprises last year and now seems poised for a new venture. Marinakis, who has previously expressed his ambition to extend Forest's multi-club model, is said to be close to hiring former Arsenal former sporting director Edu to spearhead his Brazilian 'expansion project'.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Marinakis explained: "There are discussions, and what I can say is that whatever I want to get involved in needs to be something major. The tradition is very important and it always makes more sense to me to manage or to own."
However, Radrizzani is reportedly now in prime position to gazump Marinakis with regards to Vasco Da Gama, one of Brazil's most iconic clubs. The negotiations are said to be progressing well with plans in place to exchange documents soon.
The Italian tycoon does face other competition for Vasco Da Gama in the form of consortiums based in the USA and Saudi Arabia, but is said to be leading the charge. Previously managed by 777 Partners, Vasco Da Gama's financial model fell apart earlier in 2024, leading the club's ownership to switch to the American insurance behemoth A-Cap. They are currently 12th in the Brazilian Serie A.
Expanding on his plans, Marinakis told Sky: "It's very important, in whatever I'm involved in, to be a team that has a big supporter base. Portugal is an exception. It's a smaller team. But what we need to do is for this team also to be upgraded and to be one of the [top] six or seven teams in Portugal. It's very important because, for us, the Brazilian market is very important.
"We have some very good players that have played over the years in Olympiacos and also now in Nottingham Forest. But in Portugal, Brazilians, they play as Europeans. It's a gate, let's say, for Brazilian players into Europe. And for me this is very important for the years to come."
According to LeedsLive, Radrizzani's final two years in charge of Leeds strained his relationship with the fans, largely down to the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa and the club's subsequent relegation from the Premier League after three managerial appointments failed to yield success. Radrizzani had taken over the club from previous owner Massimo Cellino.
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