Liverpool are at the centre of stunning developments after it emerged Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are looking to sell the Premier League giants.
It’s believed FSG have asked Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assist with the sale. It’s unclear at this stage how many parties are interested in buying the Reds or when a deal is likely to be done, although we do have a rough idea of how much FSG want.
As revealed by Mirror Football, FSG rejected a huge £3billion bid to buy the club in April 2021. It’s understood that offer came from the Middle East, with other parties keeping a close eye on the situation in case principal owner John W. Henry changed his mind.
It now appears that day has come, with The Athletic reporting FSG are looking to sell. In response, they issued a statement saying: “There have been a number of recent changes of ownership and rumours of changes in ownership at EPL clubs and inevitably we are asked regularly about Fenway Sports Group’s ownership in Liverpool.
“FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool. FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club. FSG remains fully committed to the success of Liverpool, both on and off the pitch.”
Any sale would almost certainly be worth in excess of £3bn, given that figure was not deemed enough to tempt FSG to sell in April 2021. There’s a possibility it could be much more than that. Chelsea were sold by Roman Abramovich to a consortium led by Todd Boehly in May for £4.25bn and Liverpool are likely to be valued higher than the Blues.
In May, American business magazine Forbes valued Liverpool at £3.6bn and Chelsea at £2.5bn. Only Manchester United (£3.7bn), Barcelona (£4.7bn) and Real Madrid (£4.8bn) were valued higher than the Reds.
Furthermore, the Glazer family slapped a minimum £3.75bn price tag on Man Utd in September. It’s important to stress that is a minimum price tag.
FSG sold an 11 per cent stake of the six-time European champions to RedBird Capital Partners in 2020 for £655million. Liverpool fans will be concerned about their desire to sell, as they have overseen one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.
Henry and his colleagues purchased Liverpool from unpopular owners George Gillet Jr and Tom Hicks for just £300m in October 2010. At the time, the Reds were struggling under Roy Hodgson and were a long way from winning a 19th league title.
Yet Liverpool have become a success again. Jurgen Klopp was appointed as manager in October 2015 and they’ve since won the Premier League title, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Club World Cup, European Super Cup and Community Shield.
FSG have also overseen the development of Liverpool’s ground. A new Main Stand has been constructed and the Anfield Road Stand is currently being redeveloped. The club have also ditched their old Melwood training ground for a new facility in Kirby.
The only major blip in FSG’s ownership was their desire to join the European Super League (ESL) in April 2021. That project, which aimed to created a closed shop of elite clubs, collapsed with 48 hours but angered fans. FSG were forced to apologise for the move.
It’s understood that the collapse of the ESL – FSG were one of the driving forces among the six English clubs involved – and Chelsea’s inflated sale price are major factors in FSG’s desire to test the market.
