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After months of back-and-forth, Liverpool owner John Henry announced on Monday that the Premier League club would not be sold to anyone. Henry’s statement comes on the eve of Liverpool’s high-octane clash with Real Madrid. “Are we selling LFC? No,” Henry was quoted as saying by the Boston Sports Journal. “Are talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale.”
FSG sold an 11% stake in the club to RedBird Capital Partners
For months, fans have speculated that the club will be sold in order to raise funds for manager Jurgen Klopp’s transfer plans. Henry, on the other hand, claimed to have merely formalised an ongoing process. “I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about Liverpool, but I keep to the facts: we merely formalised an ongoing process.” One of the two founders of the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), John W. Henry, is now the group’s principal owner, along with chairman Tom Werner, who is also the chairman of Liverpool.
Last year, FSG sold an 11% stake in the club to RedBird Capital Partners amid reports that Henry wanted to relieve some of the burdens on his shoulders. FSG purchased the Merseyside club for $358 million in 2010 when it was in financial trouble and has since transformed it into a self-sustaining model.
However, because of the self-sustaining model, Liverpool must rely on the sell-to-buy model to bring in new players. As the Premier League becomes more competitive and rival clubs continue to spend millions of dollars in each transfer window, the Reds appear to be falling behind. The pressure was possibly one of the reasons why FSG announced in November last year that they were seeking proposals from investors to buy the club.
FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool
“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,” The Athletic had quoted the American group as saying back then. FSG also owns the popular American professional baseball team Boston Red Sox in addition to Liverpool. Rumors circulated that FSG was attempting to sell LFC in order to purchase an NBA team.
