Red Bull set to take football action which could affect Leeds United | OneFootball

This could be a real boost for the Whites.

Leeds United's minority owners, Red Bull, may look to increase their shareholding in the club as they increase their focus on football, according to City AM.

In late May, it was announced that the energy drinks company had acquired a minority stake in the Yorkshire club and would become their front-of-shirt sponsor for this season.

Leeds already had some big name owners. The club were bought by the 49ers Enterprise, the investment arm of the NFL team the San Francisco 49ers, since the summer of 2023, paying £170 million to complete their takeover.

Famous actors like Russell Crowe and Will Ferrell, and athletes such as basketball player Russell Westbrook, as well as golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, are shareholders in the club.

Red Bull's involvement in sports is widely known. They are arguably most famous for their Formula One team, which is named after their brand, which has won the last four Driver's Championships courtesy of Max Verstappen, as well as two of the last four Constructor's Championships, as well as their sister team, RB, who are sponsored by Visa and Cash App.

They are also heavily involved in extreme sports, as is in keeping with their energy drink brand, but they are potentially set to make some alterations to their sporting model which could have consequences for Leeds.

Red Bull set to up their football investment

City AM have reported that the drinks brand is set to cut back on some of its spending on other sports in order to funnel more of their resources into football, which could lead to an increased stakeholding in Leeds.

The Whites aren't the only side with Red Bull connections in the world of football. Red Bull Sazlburg, RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls, RB Bragantino and RB Brasil all fall under the company's footballing portfolio.

At the time of Red Bull's investment into the Championship side, their CEO of corporate projects and investments, Oliver Mintzlaff, said, via the BBC: "The ambition to bring Leeds United back to the Premier League and establish themselves in the best football league in the world fits very well with Red Bull."

Leeds currently sit second in the automatic promotion spots. They came close to achieving their top flight return last season, before Red Bull's involvement, but missed out on the top two and failed to win the play-offs.

Leeds should be encouraged by Red Bull news

Unless they eventually put in some ridiculous offer, it's unlikely that the 49ers Enterprises is going to sell their majority stake to Red Bull any time soon. So there's little risk of Leeds becoming RB Leeds or anything like that in the near future, they're just potentially going to receive more money. That's surely a positive thing.

Their manager, Daniel Farke, has admitted that he's not expecting a wild January transfer window at Elland Road. It's very, very unlikely that any fiscal boost courtesy of Red Bull would come in time for that anyway, but there's a possibility that it could arrive next summer, when they may be back in the Premier League.