2 years ago
478 
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
At minimum Liverpool appear to now be actively seeking the sale of a stake in the club according to the latest reports.
For some time there have been whispers Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group would be interested in selling a stake in the football club, with the Boston-based consortium thought to see the appeal in leveraging the club’s increased value to recoup their initial outlay while maintaining control.
Today that story may have changed, though how much so depends on who you believe, with The Athletic framing their reporting to suggest the club are now actively seeking a full sale while a club statement on the matter frames it as at most a shift from a passive interest in selling a minority stake to actively seeking to do so.
“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,” read the statement. “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.”
The key takeaway would appear to be a reiteration that FSG are only interested in brining in new shareholders and that they remain committed to Liverpool, though some may hesitate to take a club statement on a matter such as this entirely at face value, and whether one does likely depends on their view of the current owners.
While some have been quick to bemoan a perceived lack of investment in the playing staff by the current owners, the reality is that with the club’s valuation having pushed well past a billion pounds there are few realistic candidates outside of nation-states should FSG be seeking full divestment.
The alternative to a nation state seeking to purchase the club for sportswashing purposes—if a full sale is what the club is seeking—would likely involving loading significant debt onto the club to make the purchase as Liverpool’s previous owners and Manchester United’s current owners did.
