It is now official that Sampdoria has signed a preliminary agreement for the takeover of the club by companies run by Andrea Radrizzani and Matteo Manfredi.
There had already been reports of a deal and now it is confirmed via a formal statement.
It is reported that Radrizzani (who owns Premier League club Leeds United) and Manfredi are also in advanced talks with QSI, the owners of Paris Saint-Germain, to act as minority investors.
Crucially, this deal includes the Debt Restructuring Agreement, which is why Radrizzani and Manfredi have had several meetings with local banks in recent days.
“The Board of Directors of the U.C. Sampdoria S.p.A. announces that during the night a preliminary agreement was signed for the finalization of a capital increase in the company by Gestio Capital and Aser Holding.
“The proposal presented by Gestio Capital and Aser Holding proved to be more in line with the interest of the company’s creditors and the recovery plan prepared by the club and, at the same time, adequate guarantees were given for the future of Sampdoria.
“The completion of this transaction is conditional on the completion of the preliminary activities to the presentation of the application for the Debt Restructuring Agreement, including, inter alia, the agreements with the company’s creditors.
“We thank Gestio Capital and Aser Holding for their efforts in recent days to achieve this result, aware that we still have many activities and busy days ahead of us to finalize the deal.
“We also take this opportunity to thank Alessandro Barnaba and Merlyn Partners for the interest shown and for the commitment and the attention they have dedicated to the company.”
Sampdoria have already been relegated to Serie B, but the biggest fear among their fanbase was that the club would be declared bankrupt and be forced to begin again from Serie D.
Patron Massimo Ferrero had received a proposal from Alessandro Barnaba and Merlyn Partners in November, but turned it down and kept the fans on edge to the last minute.
He has to find at least €13m over the next few days to cover outstanding wages.