Fenway Sports Group, the owners of the club, made the surprising announcement that the club was for sale, and now a host of investors will be eager to get in on the race to buy the illustrious team.
“There have been a number of recent ownership changes and rumors of ownership changes in EPL teams, and obviously we are constantly being asked about Fenway Sports Group’s ownership of Liverpool,” read an FSG statement released on Monday, which caused a frenzy in the world of football
“FSG regularly receives expressions of interest from external parties looking to invest in Liverpool. As FSG has previously stated, if it were in the best interests of Liverpool as a team, we would consider new shareholders under the appropriate terms and conditions. FSG remains fully dedicated to Liverpool’s success on and off the pitch.”
Twelve years after his £300m takeover, here are three possibilities that could succeed John Henry and company at Anfield and buy the club, which Forbes values ​​at a staggering £3.5bn.
red bird
RedBird Capital Partners, an investment firm that already has a 10% stake in Liverpool, is the early favorite to take the helm. Owner Gerry Cardinale did not rule out buying the Reds outright despite putting up £538m early last year, telling the Financial Times Business of Sport US Summit: “We don’t underwrite that with that goal.”
Although it would be a privilege, I definitely wouldn’t rule it out. However, I think Liverpool are in excellent hands with the current leadership. We are there to provide support and assistance where we can, but everyone on that team, from ownership and management on down, is amazing.
LeBron James, a basketball legend, is another small Anfield shareholder who could collaborate with RedBird. He bought 2% of the team 11 years ago.
James previously mentioned that he owns an NBA team, and Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman, claimed that the American legend would “evaluate” the Reds’ picks. Werner welcomed the views of James and his business colleagues, saying, “I’d like to get feedback from him. Maverick is one of my closest friends, in my opinion.
I have talked to him for hours about training, tactics, the things I learned from Jurgen Klopp and the things he learned from being a great basketball spectator. Our relationship is quite collaborative, so I would actually say that his knowledge and experience will be very beneficial for us moving forward.
middle east deals
After the failure of the European Super League in April 2021, Liverpool’s main owner Henry turned down a shock offer for the team for around £3bn. This was the most recent attempt to buy Liverpool. Despite the coronavirus outbreak costing the Reds more than £120m in lost revenue, the Middle East offer was rejected.
The unconfirmed party may now be interested in Henry’s choice to make offers, and given FSG’s abrupt change in position, which was highly unforeseen before it was made public on Monday, they may have a better chance this time.
Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, another Middle Eastern bidder, could also be in luck.
A £2bn attempt by Sheikh Mansour’s relatives to buy Liverpool from FSG in late 2017 and early 2018 apparently failed. The Mail claimed that, had the Sheikh Khaled acquisition been cleared, it would have been the most expensive in football history at the time.
The Reds stated at the time that they were not for sale, despite making it clear that they would consider taking on a minority investor in the right circumstances if it would further our business interests in particular markets and be consistent with the continued development of the club and team. . increase.
Consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton
Well-known Liverpool supporter Sir Martin Broughton tried to buy Chelsea earlier this year and hinted that he would return to the game. In 2010, Broughton, a former chairman of British Airways, served as interim chairman of Liverpool. He is credited with orchestrating the eventual £300m sale of the club to the FSG.
Broughton, a lifelong Blues fan, joined their group 12 years later when Roman Abramovich decided to sell Chelsea. Evolution Media Capital and Creative Artists Agency, two American companies that also own the Base soccer agency, were going to give it a big economic boost.
His right-hand man in his bid to buy Chelsea was Lord Sebastian Coe. But bringing him back would be difficult given his record as a Conservative MP.
