Will PSG soon have a little Brazilian brother named Santos? According to information from the Brazilian media Globo that we are able to confirm, QSI (Qatari Sports Investments), the Qatari investment fund that owns PSG plans to enter the capital of the famous Auriverde club that saw the debut of the legend Pele but also his. Midfielder Neymar.
With no money to make major investments in football, Santos opened the door to talks with the Qatar fund. Discussions on how to make a contribution to the club continue. The rapprochement between the club and the company was through Neymar’s father. Recently, he was involved in negotiations between the club and Belize, the club’s current major sponsor.
For several months, QSI had hoped to increase its influence in football through minority investments in clubs around the world. In October, the owner of Paris Saint-Germain acquired 21% of Braga, a Portuguese First Division club (currently third in its championship). The Qatar Investment Fund headed by Nasser Al-Khulaifi is also studying the opportunity to become the majority shareholder in the Spanish club Malaga, which reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League 10 years ago.
According to information from Cadena COPE, QSI can buy 51% of the shares for €9 million. A modest amount explained by the poor financial and sporting situation of this club, which is the nineteenth place out of 22 in the Spanish second division championship, which will develop next year at the third national level. Two other European and two South American clubs, including Santos, have also been targeted by QSI.
Today, it is this model of expansion that inspires Qatar Statistics Institute and Nasser Al-Khelyoufi. This in no way means that investment in PSG will decrease in the coming years. But the business model will change. Moreover, the opening of the capital is still a matter of interest. Three candidates wish to become minority shareholders (up to 10 or 15%) and this file must be completed over the summer.
