Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have reportedly opened talks with two consortiums from the Middle East over a £3billion sale of Liverpool.
FSG shocked fans by putting the Premier League club up for sale earlier this month. It's believed consortiums from Qatar and Saudi Arabia have expressed an interest in buying the Reds and contacted current owners FSG to make their feelings known.
Liverpool fans will be concerned that any bid from a Qatari or Saudi consortium will include state involvement. Qatar and South Arabia have poor human rights records, as same-sex relationships are illegal and women's rights are curbed by both countries.
The two consortiums have contacted FSG director Mike Gordon, who is also one of Liverpool's directors, to register their interest, as reported by the Daily Mail. Gordon is overseeing the sale of the Merseyside club instead of principal owner John W Henry.
It's claimed both consortiums are privately-owned enterprises, yet that doesn't mean either state won't be involved. The Qatari and Saudi bids reportedly have close links with the country's ruling families. Neither country has a democratically-elected government.
Saudi Arabia's sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has also admitted the state would back takeover bids for Liverpool and rivals Manchester United. The Red Devils were put up for sale by owners the Glazers on Tuesday, emulating FSG's actions.
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"From the private sector, I can't speak on their behalf, but there is a lot of interest and appetite and there's a lot of passion about football," the Saudi chief told BBC Sport. "It's the most-watched league in Saudi and the region and you have a lot of fans of the Premier League.
"We will definitely support it if any [Saudi] private sector comes in, because we know that's going to reflect positively on sports within the kingdom. But if there's an investor willing to do so and the numbers add up, why not?"
It's unclear how Saudi Arabia or Qatar would support these private consortiums. In Newcastle's case, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) - Saudi Arabia's state-run sovereign wealth fund - own an 80 per cent share of the club, which is a controlling share.
Despite this, the Premier League don't regard Newcastle as a state-owned club. They received "legally binding assurances" this was not the case when that takeover was completed in October 2021. As such, a similar situation could unfold at Liverpool or United.
Both Liverpool and United have attracted interest form elsewhere. Jurgen Klopp's side have been in talks with a US-based buyer, while Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe - who owns Ligue 1 club Nice - has, for a considerable time, been keen on acquiring the Red Devils.
Forbes valued Liverpool at $4.45bn (£3.68bn) and United at $4.6bn (£3.8bn). FSG are expected to make a huge profit on the Reds after buying the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for £300million 12 years ago. The Glazers took full control of United in 2005.
