Liverpool owner John W. Henry has ruled out Fenway Sports Group selling the club, although he is searching for new investors.
Reports in November claimed the Reds had been put up for sale and had hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assist with the process of offloading the club. FSG released a statement which appeared to leave the door open to a full sale of Liverpool.
The American firm has been in charge on Merseyside since purchasing the club in 2010 for £300million. Fast forward nearly 13 years and Liverpool are valued at roughly $4.5billion (£3.7bn) due to the astonishing growth of the Premier League and a number of prosperous seasons under Jurgen Klopp.
Potential buyers for Liverpool have proved hard to come by in recent weeks and it had grown increasingly clear that a new investor coming to the table was more likely than a full sale. Henry rarely speaks in public but clarified his stance on selling Liverpool to Boston Sports Journal on Monday, ruling out ending his association with the club while pointing to his other sporting endeavours, including the Boston Red Sox.
"I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about LFC, but I keep to the facts: we merely formalized an ongoing process," he said. "Will we be in England forever? No. Are we selling LFC? No. Are talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won't be a sale. Have we sold anything in the past 20+ years?"
FSG bought Liverpool from American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett in 2010, when the club were in financial chaos. Henry's firm has overseen a period of welcome stability and steady progress, culminating in Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League the following year.
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FSG's tenure has not been entirely well-received, however, as some fans have grown frustrated with the owner's apparent reluctance to splash the cash in the transfer market. A statement released in November cast doubt over Liverpool's immediate future prior to Henry clarifying his stance on selling the Reds on Monday.
"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," the statement read.
"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."
