Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah sets sights on Charlton Athletic takeover | OneFootball

Prince Abdullah is hoping to finalise the sale of Sheffield United soon, and wants to stay in English football after that

Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah has reportedly set his sights on a takeover of League One side Charlton Athletic once his long-running sale of the Blades goes through.

That is according to a report on Sunday morning from journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon, in what would be a major shakeup for the Addicks if the current United custodian makes a move for the Londoners.

The 59-year-old - who is also known as Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud - has owned 100 per cent of Sheffield United since September 2019, but the Saudi Prince has been attempting to sell the club, even before their ill-fated 2023-24 Premier League campaign began.

A saga which has been drawn out for far longer than planned looks to have its ending in sight though, as the US-consortium involved in buying Sheffield United have taken another step closer to owning the Blades, as according to The Star, the two parties have reached an agreement that would see a complete takeover of the club.

However, it appears that Abdullah is keen to stay in English football once he is rid of United, and he's looking further down the pyramid for an opportunity.

Prince Abdullah taking an interest in Charlton Athletic

As reported by Nixon on Sunday, Abdullah will be searching for a new club to own when the long-awaited takeover at Bramall Lane finally goes through.

It's expected that a deal with Tom Page's US consortium will be finalised imminently, with both parties now waiting for the EFL to ratify the details of the takeover, before signing off on the final few pieces of paperwork.

The Blades owner has reportedly been casting his eyes over a number of prospective EFL clubs that he and his United World Group could look to purchase, with Charlton being one of those on the radar.

Nixon reveals that Charlton are one of the clubs under consideration, but that there is a number of other clubs who are also possibly available to Abdullah, which he could purchase from the windfall payments he is set to receive from the sale of Sheffield United.

Charlton Athletic in desperate need of ownership stability

It's been a turbulent few years at The Valley in regard to the ownership of the football club, with protests and the changing of hands observed frequently in recent times.

From disastrous reign of Roland Duchatelet to a tenure under Thomas Sandgaard that was far from what it was advertised to be, the Addicks supporters have not had an owner to truly feel safe and confident in for some time.

With the current owners being the SE7 Partners group, fronted by former Sunderland director Charlie Methven, who bought the London club from Sandgaard last summer, Charlton would register a 16th-placed finish in League One during their debut season in charge.

That was the Addicks' lowest finish in the division since returning to the third tier back in 2020, only serving to once again provide fans with little optimism that their club is in the right hands.

However, with Prince Abdullah takeover, that could change. Having the necessary funds to invest in the club's obvious potential would likely not be an issue for the former President of Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority.

However, he would likely his doubters among Charlton supporters given the fact a lack of funding did contribute to the Blades falling out of the Premier League last season.