Leeds United relegated: Andrea Radrizzani apologises but no clarity on whether he plans to sell

Amidst unconfirmed rumours of negotiations with San Francisco 49ers Enterprises, Sam Allardyce is due to meet the hierarchy on Thursday. It is not expected his tenure as manager will be extended beyond four games which yielded one point.

Meanwhile, Radrizzani focus has been on a takeover of Serie B-bound Sampdoria, completed hours before Tuesday's midnight deadline to avoid a four-point penalty next term.

The Italian was criticised for not being at Sunday's game which sealed relegation, not speaking about it or whether he intends to keep the club he bought in 2017. He has now put one of those right at least.

“I find it very hard to find the right words to say, other than to apologise to all of our fans," he said in a statement. "I am sincerely sorry for how this season has unfolded.

“We have made significant investments to try to keep Leeds United in the Premier League, but we have made some mistakes. We are reflecting on the decisions we have taken to ensure we learn the lessons.

“Leeds supporters deserve more than this. I hope once the anger and disappointment has subsided you will see we can come back stronger.

"We have invested heavily in Leeds United since 2017 and worked hard to get back to where the club deserves to be. With the support of our partners, we can continue that journey to bounce back.

“Work is underway which we hope will be reflected in some key appointments in different areas of the club. We will keep you all updated throughout the process.”

There were reports Radrizzani spent part of last week negotiating to sell his 56 per cent stake to the 49ers, who own the remaining 44 per cent.

There is nothing in the rules that says he cannot own both clubs but considerable fan pressure to sell, and there have long been plans to do so. Sampdoria’s financial problems will require a lot of work, as will rebuilding from both relegations.

The 49ers have the option of buying Radrizzani's stake by January but the price was based on Premier League status. They are thought to be still interested at a realistic figure.