Qatar Sports Investments negotiates to buy stake in Italian club

Qatar Sports Investments, owner of French club Paris Saint-Germain, is in negotiations to buy a stake in Italian club Sampdoria Genoa, AFP learned Thursday from a source close to the file.
Until its acquisition of Saint-Germain in 2011, the company owns 21.67% of Portuguese club Braga.
The company hopes to continue to develop through the world of sports, acquiring a "diversified portfolio", the source continued, similar to other investment funds such as CVC Capital Partners, Redbird, City Football Group, owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, which includes English champions Manchester City, or Silver Lake, which owns a stake in the New Zealand Rugby Federation.
Qatar Sports Investments is in negotiations for a "minority stake" for Sampdoria, who will be relegated to the second division at the end of the season.
The company is also interested in a stake in Brazilian club Santos, but "no progress has been made", and also for Spanish club Malaga, the source said, confirming press reports.
The company, whose board of directors is chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Saint-Germain, has launched its own padel championship.
In addition, the company is interested in "opening the capital" of Paris Saint-Germain and is "examining various offers", including one from the US investment fund Arctos Sports Partners, which is "very enthusiastic about investing in the club", the source close to the file added.