What's the story?
Fenway Sports Group(FSG), the owners of Liverpool, have once again denied a reported buy out of the club that could have been worth 2 billion pounds, and have said categorically that the club is not for sale, though they may be open to minor investments in the club.
In case you didn't know...
FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 from former owners Hicks and Gillet for a staggering 300 million pounds. They took over a team that was struggling immensely in administration and football.
Liverpool, at the time of the sale, was part of the bottom three in the league after picking up only six points in seven matches. The owners have seen Liverpool through immense redevelopment phases, and currently, Liverpool are second on the league table.
The heart of the matter
A Daily Mail report claims that talks with Abu Dhabi-based Sheik Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, a cousin of Manchester City owner Sheik Mansour, took place across late 2017 and early 2018, before he eventually put up a bid of £2 billion for a takeover for 100 percent ownership.
Liverpool confirmed the reports but said that it “never reached the stage where major shareholders John W Henry or Michael Gordon met the Abu Dhabi investors.”
The owners of the club released a message to the effect that the club was not for sale but left the door open on any minor investment if such an investment was "to further our commercial interests in specific marketplaces and in line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team.”
Though many still doubt that FSG will not consider a total sell out of the club, the report seems to suggest so. FSG has invested heavily in the transfer market to attract players and has also tied down Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, to a long-term contract.
What's next?
Whether FSG will continue its commitment to Liverpool in the future remains to be seen, but it remains an incredible fact that Liverpool has changed so much in 8 years to be valued at 2 billion pounds.