Liverpool’s owners say they will “consider new shareholders” after reports the club is up for sale. FSG said it “remains fully committed to Liverpool’s success, both on and off the pitch”. Liverpool, last season’s Premier League runners-up, are eighth in the table. They have reached the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Real Madrid in a repeat of last year’s final. A statement from FSG read: “There have been a number of recent ownership changes and rumors of ownership changes at Premier League clubs and inevitably we are regularly asked about Fenway Sports Group’s ownership of Liverpool. “FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool. “FSG have said in the past that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.” Liverpool fans’ association Spirit of Shankly said it hoped fans would be consulted in any talks involving new owners of the club. “We have seen reports today that FSG has put Liverpool FC up for sale,” it said in a statement. “Spirit of Shankly has written to LFC for clarification and will await a response before commenting. However, we expect both the Supporters Board and SOS to be involved in some part of the process so that supporters are front and center of each sale and the first thoughts of prospective owners. “We’ll keep you posted.” FSG bought Liverpool in a £300m deal under its old name New England Sports Ventures. Basketball star LeBron James has co-owned Liverpool since 2011 and has a 2% stake which cost him £4.7m. He has since become a junior partner in FSG, which also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team. In March RedBird Capital Partners, a private equity firm, bought a stake in FSGexternal-link for around $735m (£533m). Liverpool’s principal owner John Henry apologized to fans in April 2021 after the club withdrew from a proposed European Super League. Liverpool signed striker Darwin Nunez for £64m, attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho for £5m and defender Calvin Ramsay for £4.2m this summer. “At times I would be ready to risk a bit more, but I don’t decide and that’s fine,” manager Jurgen Klopp said in August.
Analysis
Football finance pundit Kieran Maguire on BBC Radio 5 Live Fenway Sports Group have seen the astonishing price Chelsea were sold for (£4.25bn) and also that they have an additional rival in Newcastle United. Six out of four in the Champions League it doesn’t go well, while seven out of four goes worse. The owners of Newcastle bought this club for the same price that FSG paid for Liverpool – 300 million pounds. FSG could easily sell for 10 times that amount – if not more – if they are to consider offers, and the Premier League remains an incredibly lucrative proposition for investors and ultra-high net worth individuals. The pound is weak at the moment, which makes the deal even more attractive if those investors are from abroad. Arsenal have now gone five years without being part of the Champions League and Liverpool’s owners will have noted the defeats Arsenal have had in that time. They won’t want it for their own business because they’ve been very cautious about putting in extra money and probably think it’s a good time to sell – or certainly see what the options are in terms of the club. It will likely be mostly American investors looking at Liverpool. The Chinese government has prevented its companies from investing in football, so this is a sector that has disappeared. I’m not sure there are many domestics who would realistically have anywhere near £4 billion to buy Liverpool.
