The United Arab Emirate of Getafe

The Hotel Burj Al Arab in Dubai is a towering monument to ambition in its host Emirate. Standing at 321 meters high, it is the second-tallest building of its kind in the world and was once described as the world's sole "seven-star hotel."

Last Thursday, it received a visitor from the not-so-glamorous Madrid suburb of Getafe, but one whose surname is nonetheless synonymous with aiming big: Ángel Torres, the president of Getafe Football Club. On the same day, Royal Emirates Group announced that it had agreed to buy Getafe for a sum between 70 and 90 million euros.

That is good news for the fans of the club on the financial front- while Getafe's Coliseum stadium has one of the lowest attendance records in La Liga, it is not in similar financial straits to other institutions- but less appealing to traditionalists is the proposed change to the team's name: Getafe Team Dubai.

"Next year we are definitely going to be in the top six"

"The majority of the payment is up front," Royal Emirates' managing director, Kaiser Rafiq, said after the deal was signed. "For the coming year we are definitely going to secure a position in the top six."

Getafe ended a spectacular campaign last season in precisely that position but Royal Emirates may be jumping the gun in its ambitious outlook ahead of next year's competition: Getafe currently sits in 14th place, with a thin four-point cushion between itself and the relegation places. A tricky away trip to Mallorca on Sunday ended in a 2-0 defeat and high-flying Villarreal and Real Madrid are two of the club's final five fixtures.

The sale of Getafe to a foreign owner reflects a business trend that, while rife in the English Premier League, is relatively new to La Liga. Clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, which are owned by their members, cannot be sold to foreign investors but the rights to sponsorship of Barcelona's shirt, for example, raised more cash for the Catalans than the sale of Getafe; Qatar Foundation signed a five-year deal with the club worth 150 million euroslast December.

Only Málaga- itself in relegation trouble despite being bankrolled by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani- and Racing Santander, owned by Indian tycoon Ahsan Ali Syed, are controlled by foreign investors.

While these two clubs had mounting debts to be taken on, Getafe can expect to have a significant transfer budget at its disposal this summer. "Royal Emirates Group is a private holding company and no funding is coming from the ruling family," the purchasing group's project manager, Suleiman al Butti, said. "This is strictly a private business deal."

"We were offered two or three Liga clubs and we also looked into Europe, but Getafe is a young and rising team," added Rafiq.

After registering as Getafe CF in 1983 the club swiftly climbed the divisions, suffered a slump and then rose again, reaching Primera División from regional competition in two decades. "Our vision is to now beat Real Madrid," said Al Butti.

With the financial clout soon to be unleashed- Royal Emirates Group has targeted Champions League qualification within two seasons- the team formerly known as Peña Madridista Getafe (The Real Madrid supporters' club of Getafe) may soon be rubbing shoulders with its illustrious neighbor in Europe's elite. In the meantime, coach Míchel's struggling side must ensure that it remains in Primera, lest the soaring ambition of its new investors proves to be a castle built on sand.