(Football news) Reports have emerged that Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have put the club on sale with a full sales presentation being prepared for interested parties. This isn’t the first time the FSG have explored opportunities for the potential sale of the club and this time around, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been retained to assist with the process. The FSG are also owners of the Boston Red Sox and have owned the Premier League club since 2010, buying it from George Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks.
Under the FSG ownership, Liverpool have won one Premier League title (their first in three decades) as well as the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and the Champions League. Moreover, significant investment has gone into the redevelopment of Anfield with a new £110 million Main Stand and £80 million committed towards the Anfield Road Stand which will be completed by next summer, boosting the stadium capacity to 61,000. FSG have also spearheaded the transition of Liverpool’s training ground, from Melwood to a new £50m training facility in Kirkby.
A statement released by the FSG read “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.”
Last year, the FSG sold 11% stake of Liverpool FC for $750m (£655m) to RedBird Capital Partners and went on to buy a controlling stake in NHL ice hockey team the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their time as Liverpool owners have also been marred with controversy, especially when the club were involved in the European Super League and when they were campaigned against by the Spirit of Shankly group for attempting to trademark the word ‘Liverpool’. It will be interesting to see if U.K’s richest man Jim Ratcliffe attempts to buy the club, especially considering that he is a boyhood Manchester United fan but has publicly expressed his desire to own a big Premier League club. Ratcliffe previously had a £4.25 billion bid rejected for the takeover of Chelsea.
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