Liverpool bracing themselves to be taken over by super-rich Middle Eastern owners.
In the last 18 months, both Newcastle United and Chelsea have had huge takeovers, with a recent report from Sky Sports (opens in new tab) linking Tottenham with an investment from Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sports Investments.
Now, it seems like the Merseysiders are next, with their own ownership Fenway Sports Group having put the club up for sale recently.
Qatari journalist Mohammed Saeed Alkaabi (opens in new tab) has claimed (opens in new tab) that, “Qatar are giving priority to the acquisition of Liverpool Football Club and are seriously interested but the deal is not complete at this present moment. We will see in the next few days.”
The Telegraph (opens in new tab) says a February bid is apparently likely, while according to The Mirror (opens in new tab), FSG want a minimum of £4 billion for the club, having asked Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assist with the sale.
With Abu Dhabi owning Manchester City and Saudi Arabia buying Newcastle United in October 2021, Liverpool would become the third club to be owned by Middle Eastern groups. FSG are believed to be wanting to sell up thanks to a mixture of the infamous Super League collapse, along with the example of Chelsea and how much Roman Abramovich raked in for selling his Premier League asset.
Manchester United have also been put up for sale by the Glazer family, too. Though there aren’t rumours of Qatari interest in the Red Devils, however, it seems as if they could well be offered to QSI.
Despite criticism of the current Liverpool ownership from Reds supporters, FSG have heavily invested in infrastructure. The sanctioned construction of a new Main Stand and redevelopment of the Anfield Road Stand will bring the capacity of Anfield over 60,000, while the Reds have also swapped Melwood for a new, state-of-the-art training facility in Kirby under their ownership.
Liverpool were sold at the start of the 2010/11 season when the club was on the verge of bankruptcy and the Reds’ creditors asked the High Court to allow the sale of the club, overruling the wishes of previous owners, Hicks and Gillett.
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