Liverpool are likely to press ahead with their search for a ‘strategic partner’ investment.
Last week the Reds’ principal owner John Henry, in a Q&A with the Boston Sports Journal, revealed Fenway Sports Group were not looking to sell the club and a minority partner was their preferred course of action, with Henry stating FSG were ‘talking to investors’.
Back in December, well-placed financial sources in the US told the ECHO it was FSG’s preference to align themselves with a ‘strategic partner’, potentially a media and entertainment company that could provide capital as well as expertise in how to scale the business moving forward, potentially with one eye on accreting a minority stake into a majority over time.
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After Henry’s comments put to bed gossip that had dominated the agenda since November, the focus has now shifted to accelerating the talks with potential investors and recapitalising the business ahead of what is likely to be an expensive summer rebuild that requires a significant dent in cash flow.
On Wednesday, the Telegraph reported the Liverpool owners were ‘looking at major media companies as potential investors to take a minority stake in the club’.
Among those mentioned in the report as potentially being among the candidates for providing such investment was the biggest empire in global sports, Liberty Media.
Owners of Formula One and the Atlanta Braves, as well as having significant media investments such as the global SiriusXM radio network, Liberty Media have a portfolio worth some $20.8bn according to Forbes’ most valuable empires list, a list where FSG sit fourth at $10.4bn.
Liberty Media’s president and chief executive officer is Greg Maffei, who also recently served as chairman of the Starz TV network and Liverpool sleeve sponsor Expedia, as well as formerly holding roles as chief financial officer of Oracle and Microsoft.
Liberty Media declined to respond when approached by the Telegraph, the report claims.
A strategic partner is something that FSG are understood to be leaning towards given their desire to find ways to grow the business further, recapitalise for a summer rebuild and potentially give them an exit route further down the line by selling a slice to a partner that they can be happy bedfellows who could buy them out in the future.
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