QSI interested in acquiring shares of Sampdoria in Italy

Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the prominent investment fund that currently owns PSG, is making notable moves to expand its presence and influence in the sports industry and they have now put their eyes on Serie A side Sampdoria, reports Le Parisien.

Beyond its renowned ownership of PSG and its 21.67% stake in Portuguese club Braga, QSI is actively engaged in negotiations to acquire a minority stake in Sampdoria.

The former giants will be relegated to Italy's Serie B (second division) at the end of this season, though, with Sampdoria sitting last in the Serie A standings and no chance of escaping relegation with only two games left to be played.

QSI aims to follow the footsteps of other investment funds such as CVC Capital Partners, Redbird, and City Football Group, owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group and known for its association with Manchester City. These funds have successfully ventured into various sports domains, ranging from rugby to football, to achieve a diversified investment profile.

While the talks regarding Sampdoria are in progress, QSI has also expressed interest in other clubs. We already discussed such interest earlier this week, with QSI linked to Brazilian side Santos and Spanish team Malaga and expected to bid for shares of those clubs.

Santos and PSG/QSI are linked through Neymar's father, while Malaga is already owned by a cousin of the Emir of Qatar, which should make for easier negotiations.

However, at this point, no substantial advancements have been made on any of those two fronts as reported by Le Parisien on Thursday, May 25th evening. That said, the moves already made by QSI to position itself in the lead of acquiring shares of teams operating in varied countries and continents show its willingness to explore opportunities in different regions and leagues, allowing the fund to widen its global sports footprint.

It is important to note that QSI's exploration of other club investments does not necessarily imply an impending disengagement from PSG. Instead, it signifies a strategic desire to diversify assets and prepare for the future, while seizing potential opportunities as they arise.

QSI is also considering the possibility of putting some of PSG's capital and shares in the market and opening them to external investors, a move that could attract significant attention and potentially reshape the club's ownership structure. This is not seen as a first step toward a full selling of the club, though, but rather looking for help to finance some ancillary resources linked to the club such as the eventual building of a new stadium.

Arctos Sports Partners, an American investment fund, has seemingly contacted QSI to grab some of those PSG shares. No fresh news has been reported about this potential partnership since it first popped up a few months ago.

QSI's strategic vision, ambition, and commitment to expanding its influence in the sports industry are likely to have a profound impact on the trajectory of various clubs and leagues around the world, let alone affect how PSG evolves both on and off the field in future seasons.