Hollywood star set to join Leeds United ownership group | OneFootball

According to The Sun, the American actor has bought a stake in the Yorkshire outfit ahead of their play-off battle, which is set to start next week.

The Whites missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League on Saturday, with a 2-1 defeat to Southampton - coupled with Ipswich Town defeating Huddersfield 2-0 - consigning them to the play-offs.

Daniel Farke’s side finished third in the table, six points adrift of the top two, as Leicester City and Ipswich Town clinched a place in the top flight.

The German will now be preparing his side to take on Norwich City in the two-legged post-season semi-finals.

Will Ferrell joins Leeds United ownership

The 49ers Enterprises took full control of Leeds last summer following their relegation from the Premier League.

The US investors were previously a minority shareholder in the club prior to purchasing Andrea Radrizzani’s remaining stake 12 months ago, with the Italian wanting to depart so that he could focus on his recent purchase of Sampdoria.

Ferrell is now set to join as part of the ownership group, purchasing a stake of his own in Leeds.

It is expected that official confirmation will come in the next few days, with the 56-year-old making his first move into English football.

However, he has experience working in the sport, having become a co-owner of MLS side Los Angeles FC in 2016.

It is believed that Ferrell is worth £127 million, but it remains to be seen just how much he is investing into the club, with Phil Hay of The Athletic stating that it will be a minority investment.

Ferrell has often been in attendance for games in English football, particularly in the Premier League.

He has also been spotted supporting fellow Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s adventure in Wrexham.

The duo bought the Welsh outfit, and have overseen its rise to League One in a short space of time.

Leeds could even potentially follow in Wrexham’s footsteps, with the popularity of the Welcome to Wrexham series helping the club’s stature grow.

Leeds could be in for a similar treatment with Ferrell now set to be involved, and he is of course not the only famous face to have invested in the Whites in recent times.

Golf stars Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are also investors of 49ers Enterprises, as well as NBA superstar Russell Westbrook - multi-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps is also among the names.

Ferrell arriving shows investment potential of Leeds

Leeds have attracted a Hollywood star to join their ownership group, showing that the club is one people want to be involved with.

Ferrell is the latest American investor into English football, as the Championship continues to gain traction across the Atlantic.

A Leeds-style docu-series could be quite entertaining, and would give supporters a greater insight into their side.

It could also help boost the popularity of the club, especially as Ferrell’s own fame could bring some extra attention to them and possibly even attract sponsors that could generate some much-needed extra revenue.

While this may seem innocuous at the moment, this move could potentially be quite lucrative for the Whites in the long run.