AS Roma could become the next club that will fall in the hands of investors from Saudi Arabia. Several reports from Italy have confirmed that Roma owners Dan Friedkin will be meeting with a delegation of Saudi investors and businessman Raffaello Follieri this week to discuss a possible sale of the club.
The Friedkin Group has been the owner of Roma since 2020, after they purchased the club for a reported 600m euros from American businessman James Pallotta. The Friedkin Group, led by CEO Dan Friedkin did have ambitious plans with Roma and they put power to their words by appointing José Mourinho as their head coach. The Portuguese manager then led Roma to their first-ever European trophy by winning the UEFA Conference League last year.
Corriere dello Sport report that the group of Saudi investors is interested in buying the club and would like to discuss their terms with Friedkin. It is believed that the Roman club could be sold for a fee around 1 billion euros. Though the involvement of Follieri my raise some eyebrows across Europe, as the businessman once was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in the United States in 2008 for his involvement in a $50m investment scam.
