Liverpool braced for €3.5bn Middle Eastern takeover

FT Desk

• Updated: 27 Nov 2022 11:12 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool have been put on the market by current owners FSG, and now two bids - from Saudi Arabia and Qatar - have been made.

Liverpool have been owned by FSG (the Fenway Sports Group) since October 2010, and the American ownership has since overseen triumphs in the Premier League and the Champions League.

But is believed the failed European Super League idea - and the guaranteed financial security it promised - has made John Henry and Co. think twice about funding the Reds' climb back to the top of the game at home and abroad.

READ: Man Utd and Liverpool both for sale: Which club is a better investment?

Forbes valued Liverpool at €4.54 billion in May, but with the Glazer family announcing Manchester United's availability for sale right after Liverpool did, the potential fee for the Reds could go down, with their rivals in the market for the same investors and enjoying a greater global reach.

Interest confirmed

"Liverpool have held discussions with two Middle East-based consortiums over a £3 billion [€3.48bn] takeover," report the Daily Mail. "The Mail on Sunday has learned that representatives of consortiums from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have expressed an interest in buying the club.

"Several sources report that consortium officials have approached Fenway Sports Group director Mike Gordon - the man responsible for the sale of Liverpool - to register their interest."

READ: Which players are Liverpool watching at the World Cup?

Saudi Arabia and Qatar already have a significant interest in European football, with the sovereign wealth funds of both countries involved in the ownership of Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain.

The recent bids for Liverpool are understood to come from private investors, though - something Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has recently encouraged.

"From the private sector, I can't speak on their behalf, but there's a lot of interest and appetite and there's a lot of passion about football," he said.

"We'll definitely support it if any private sector comes in, because we know that's going to reflect positively on sports within the Kingdom."