Fenway Sports Group announced last month that they were 'exploring a sale' of Liverpool, and there may be a key reason as to why.
FSG have owned Liverpool since 2010, with the American owners group expanding their portfolio after buying MLB side Boston Red Sox back in 2002. The Americans have since bought a stake in NHL side Pittsburgh Penguins, but it appears that they now want to offload some of their portfolio, for one main reason.
The NBA is set to expand within the next few years, with Seattle and Vegas tipped to hold franchises, and FSG are at the front of the queue to acquire the latter. Current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James invested in Liverpool and FSG many years ago, and could soon play a major part in the owners group successfully breaking into the NBA.
It all came a little bit out of the blue when FSG announced that they were working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to navigate a potential sale. FSG bought Liverpool for £300million, and 12 years later they have placed a minimum £3.3bn value on the club.
For all their critics, FSG have proven to be very successful at Liverpool, hiring the perfect manager in Jurgen Klopp back in 2015, and going on to win every elite trophy possible within the last five years. Their recruitment has been near perfect too, although former director Michael Edwards is to thank for that.
FSG have also been investing in Anfield heavily, expanding the stadium and looking to build Liverpool up even more. So, their decision did take a lot of fans by surprise. However, according to American sports analyst Bill Simmons, the lure of owning a Vegas NBA franchise is too attractive to turn down, and feels as though FSG are willing to offload Liverpool in exchange.
Liverpool may be FSG's proudest asset, but their original baby is the Red Sox. However, their star man Xander Bogaerts has now agreed to leave and join San Diego Padres, and Simmons is convinced there is only one reason why FSG are happy to let him go.
"I just don't understand the plan, I don't understand what they're trying to do other than just gut the team and sell it," Simmons said on his podcast. "I don't think there's any other takeaway, this just feels like a three-year plan to cut costs, make the team as malleable as possible for the next owner.
"We know they're getting the Vegas NBA team, that's happening. I don't know how many more times I can tell people that. LeBron's involved. That's happening.
"That's why they're getting rid of Liverpool, that's why they're gonna sell the Red Sox. They're gonna move their investments towards the NBA and the Penguins and whatever else."
Vegas and Seattle have been linked with an NBA franchise for some time, but commissioner Adam Silver has claimed that they're not looking to 'discuss expansion at this time'. But according to NBC writer Kurt Helin, that's because they want to figure out future TV deals first, among other things.
"They're not going to talk about expansion until they figure out the CBA with the players, lock up long term security, and then work out a TV deal," Helin told NBC Sports. "That's because then those franchises are worth more.
"You can expand now, but if you expand in say two years, those franchises are going to be worth 50 percent more, so they'll do it in a few years. My guess is that Seattle and Vegas will have teams by the end of the decade."
With high-profile sports teams requiring a long process to be sold, at the right price especially, it's plausible to suggest that FSG are looking to offload Liverpool now in anticipation for their Vegas bid. And with James no doubt a key driver for FSG to get into the NBA, they have an expert ready and waiting to help run things.
James is still at the height of his powers now, but the 37-year-old will likely be retired by the team an expansion becomes possible. All the time frames are matching up, but with the new Vegas franchise set to become the most expensive NBA team of all-time, FSG need all the funds they can get.
Joe Tsai spent $3.2bn (£2.6bn) on the Brooklyn Nets back in 2019, with that figure the highest amount ever spent on an NBA franchise. A deal for the expected Vegas franchise will surely exceed that, and it looks as though FSG are managing their assets wisely.
