Derby County are close to securing a major cash injection from Saudi Arabian sports promoter Turki Alalshikh, with a deal potentially approved as early as next week.
Alalshikh has been in talks with Derby owner David Clowes since May over a proposed stake in the Championship club. The deal has passed through the Football League and the Independent Football Regulator, and there is optimism it will receive the go-ahead shortly.
The 44-year-old is chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and a prominent figure in the close circle of the country’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman. He has previously owned football clubs in Spain and Egypt and is now considered one of the most powerful figures in world boxing.
Human rights groups have criticised Alalshikh for his alleged role in Saudi Arabia’s ‘sportswashing’ efforts.
