Derby County are reportedly in talks with Turki Alarcik About boxing Promoters may invest in Championship clubs and the Independent Football Regulator is said to be carrying out this activity Checks on Saudi government officials before approving transactions. Mr Alarusik, 44, is a minister advising the Royal Courts and chairs the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), which regulates the country’s entertainment sector.
In a biography published last year, CEO Today detailed that his net worth was more than £2 billion in 2024. “Manchester United are currently at an advanced stage of completing a sale deal to a new investor. We hope he is better than the previous owner,” he claimed on X in October. Alarusik later clarified: “I’m not an investor and they’re not from my country. I’m posting this as a fan hoping for a deal to happen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen.”
The Telegraph now reports that Derby, through their current owner David Clowes, are in detailed negotiations with him, but the paper adds that the nature of Alarcik’s interest remains unclear. However, it seems unlikely that he will take up a role similar to the one he holds at GEA, as Crows is said to intend to remain as Derby chairman as part of the deal, even if he does not hold a majority stake in the club.
Alarcik was previously the owner of Egyptian Premier League club Pyramid, having just sold Spanish second-tier club Almeria last summer after six years in charge of the club. Months after selling himself, Alarcik denied reports linking him to Bristol City in September last year, telling X: “It’s not true that I’m buying Bristol City FC.”
However, the club’s chief executive, Tom Rawcliffe, confirmed weeks later that the club had spoken to Alarusik. The Robins, like Derby, are willing to invest in their bid for promotion to the Premier League.
Speculation about his interest in the Rams appeared to have sparked from supporters who noticed Alarusik was following multiple X’s fan accounts, and he addressed those rumors on social media. He posted, “Darby,” followed by an emoji of a person shrugging their shoulders.
A year is approaching since the sale of Almeria to a Saudi investment group. The move comes weeks before he co-founded boxing promotion company Zuffa Boxing with UFC CEO Dana White.
The billionaire’s involvement in boxing goes back nearly three years, starting with the fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia had already hosted a heavyweight title rematch between Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk.
Alarusik has since organized several other high-profile matches, including the undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Fury and Usyk. Today, Zuffa continues to host events throughout the UK and US.
