Andrea Radrizzani on what San Francisco 49ers' £50m-plus investment means for Leeds United's short-term and long-term goals

And majority owner Andrea Radrizzani says his partnership with the 49ers, in the long term, will help the club to close the gap to the top clubs.

An increased stake of 37 per cent in Leeds United for the 49ers was announced yesterday morning but Radrizzani says the share split is not as important as the relationship and how it works for all parties.

A fresh injection of cash, at a time when revenue is being hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, was vital however.

"Part of the money will be to keep the club going," said Radrizzani.

"The investing we have done in the summer was very heavy for the company. I think it gives a bit of stability to the club itself. It was something already planned for a while.

"It's something more [than £50m] but I don't think it's about the level of investment that changes life for Leeds United. The numbers, the percentage we have now, 63:37, it could be 60:40, 50:50, it doesn't matter. What matters is we're happy, we're working together and have a clear common goal."

Premier League survival is the initial key to further commercial success, that in turn can drive on-field progression, says Radrizzani.

"With my initial investment four years ago I started a new journey, the first phase was promotion, now it's important to stay in the Premier League," said the Italian.

"Together with our friends from San Francisco we have more opportunities to support the club where the investment in players is not only important but the revenue you can bring to the club. We need to close the gap to the top clubs, they make much more revenue, therefore they have more opportunities in the transfer market than us.

"We need to establish a strong management and support them together to generate more revenue and the club itself will have this opportunity. But we need to stay in the Premier League for two or three years."