Saudi Arabia government official Turki Alalshikh’s investment deal into Derby County could be finalised as early as next week.

Alalshikh, co-founder of boxing promotion company Zuffa, is interested in buying a stake in the Championship club and there has been a deal on the table with English football’s independent regulator since May.

With final checks set to take place, his investment is expected to be given the green light in the coming days, BBC Radio Derby reports.

The proposed deal had raised concerns among human rights campaigners, including Amnesty International, which last month said the independent regulator faced a “defining test” over the investment.

Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority – and someone who is close to the Kingdom’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman – has been criticised by human rights groups for his role in alleged ‘sportswashing’.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sports to improve its image in the wider world to distract from its human rights record, treatment of women, use of the death penalty and its anti-LGBT stance.

As well as being the owner of Egyptian club Pyramids between 2018 and 2019, Alalshikh recently owned Spanish side Almeria but sold the club to an investment group from Saudi Arabia last May.

The Independent Football Regulator, Derby County and Alalshikh have all declined to comment.

Dominic Dietrich, BBC Radio Derby

This is a story that has dominated the summer for Derby County since it was first revealed back in May.

It has now taken a big step forward as Turki Alalshikh looks set to make his first move into English football following a long-term desire to do so.

A number of interested parties have looked at the Rams since owner David Clowes first confirmed his willingness to take on extra investment upwards of 80%, with Clowes saying it has to be someone that can “accelerate” their progress to the Premier League.

The key in this development is the timeline – as we sit here on 29 July, the Rams have only brought in four players and have not made real steps forward so far in their recruitment to build on last season’s impressive eighth-placed finish.

If this deal goes through next week as we expect, it will give Derby around three weeks to make an impact in the transfer window and strengthen their case for a play-off finish in the Championship, something head coach John Eustace will be desperate to achieve.

The questions that remain are how much investment Alalshikh will make, the percentages and exactly how this deal will be structured, but this may have just changed the trajectory for the Rams going forward.