FSG has put Liverpool up for sale, and several parties are interested. With today’s Mukesh Ambani news, we’ve looked at those who are interested and those who aren’t.
Liverpool is up for sale and a multitude of names have already been linked with taking the Reds off the hands of FSG for a huge sum of at least $3bn, with plenty of interest having been generated.
A week on from The Athletic breaking the news that FSG was open to offers, for the first time entertaining the possibility of a full takeover rather than just new investment, many names have risen to the fore.
Several others have also ruled themselves out of the running, with Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, according to the Times of National, not in contention despite speculation around him yesterday.
The Daily Mail has reported that it will take £2.7bn to convince FSG to sell but other outlets have suggested a higher number than that, while the same report claiming ‘secret talks’ have been happening behind the scenes for weeks with a mystery bidder.
Here, Liverpool.com has taken a look at the parties who are being linked who are still in the running, compared to those who have been suggested but are now ruled out.
Steve Ballmer – A US investor who owns the Los Angeles Clippers, the ECHO has suggested him as a possible candidate. The 66-year-old was voted the best owner in the NBA in a survey conducted by The Athletic. Worth around £85bn, Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft.
Stephen Pagliuca – A Boston-based option, the Atalanta investor was interested in Chelsea earlier in the year. He owns 55 percent of the Serie A side and would need to sell that to avoid a conflict of interest given the Reds and Atalanta have both qualified for the Champions League in recent seasons. The Daily Star named him as the ‘favorite’ a few days ago.
Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment – Another party who looked at Chelsea, the Crystal Palace part-owners would need to sell their shares in the Selhurst Park outfit to become involved at Anfield.
Dubai/another Gulf State – Investors in Dubai have been interested in Liverpool before. The region was interested in Liverpool in 2007 before FSG were involved, and The Mirror reported that they are interested in the Reds once more.
RULED OUT:
Mukesh Ambani – Liverpool had been approached by the eighth-richest man in the world, according to the Sunday Mirror, but the Times of National reports that he is not in the running. They state that a spokesperson labeled the speculation ‘fake’ in a statement.
Conor McGregor – Never shy of attention, the Irish MMA fighter put his name forwards on social media but would not have the funds to be realistically in the conversation.
Jim Ratcliffe – The Manchester United fan who owns Ligue 1 side Nice was linked and was interested in Chelsea, but ruled himself out quickly. “Our position has developed since the summer and we are now focusing our efforts in Nice and raising our ambitions for the club to make them into a top-tier club in France to compete with PSG,” a spokesperson for Ratcliffe told The Telegraph. “This would represent much better value for our investment than buying one of the top-tier Premier League clubs.”
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