Leeds have already been given a “very interesting” Red Bull verdict by Jürgen Klopp

Red Bull Group is coming into English football after buying a minority stake in Leeds United. The energy drink giant, which owns a host of clubs around the world, will now enter England after investing in the former Premier League club days after they missed out on promotion in the Championship play-off final.

For Liverpool, there will be intrigue. The Reds have been unofficially linked with two of their other clubs, Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, in recent years. Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Takumi Minamino have all made their way to Anfield via the Red Bull network at one point or another.

Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant Pep Lijnders has just taken over as manager at Red Bull Salzburg. And Klopp made interesting comments about the “exciting project” which has attracted a lot of attention in the football world in recent years.

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Back in pre-season ahead of the 2022/23 season, Liverpool traveled to both Leipzig and Salzburg to play pre-season friendlies. Ahead of their match in Austria, Klopp told LFCTV: “What Red Bull are doing is a really interesting project, I have to say. The team is incredibly young but incredibly skilled.

“Again, it kind of changes every year, they sell players, but still a good team. It’s very interesting what they do. The philosophy of football is not too far from ours.

“So it’s going to be intense, there’s going to be big press everywhere, there’s going to be back press, we have to find solutions and that’s why we’re here.”

Leeds United will now watch with interest as the “really exciting project” heads to Elland Road, albeit in a smaller, more limited capacity. Announcing the deal, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe said: “The addition of Red Bull is a historic milestone that will further empower the club to reach its full competitive potential.”

Leeds United will keep the club’s name and logo unchanged, unlike other clubs in the Red Bull group. However, the energy drink brand will take over as shirt sponsor.

The club is currently owned by the investment arm of the NFL franchise San Francisco 49esrs – 49ers Enterprises – and also includes a variety of celebrity investors, including Russell Crowe, Will Ferrell and golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

“The ambition to bring Leeds United back to the Premier League and establish itself in the best football league in the world is a great fit for Red Bull,” said Oliver Mintzlaff, the company’s CEO of Corporate Projects and Investments.