John W Henry has put Liverpool on the market and will demand a staggering FOUR BILLION POUNDS for the club.
Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has hired blue-chip investment companies Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to conduct the sale of Liverpool after buying it for £300million in 2010.
The prospect of a massive profit, the collapse of the European Super League project - in which Henry was a prime mover - and a feeling that it will become harder and harder to compete financially with state-backed clubs have convinced the Liverpool owners that it is time to cash in.
Representatives of FSG have refused to confirm the entire club is now on the market but a statement said: “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 and a club.”
It seems Henry’s head has been turned by the £4.25billion his compatriot Todd Boehly forked out for Chelsea and there has been a growing suspicion that FSG have accepted they cannot compete with the likes of Sheikh Mansour and, going forward, the Saudi owners of Newcastle United.
Despite the huge asking price for the six-times European champions, there is expected to be fierce competition to complete a takeover. One early bidder could be RedBird Capital Partners, the company headed by Gerry Cardinale, who bought an 11 percent stake in FSG for £538million last year.
He told the Financial Times Business of Sport US Summit: “I definitely would not exclude it (owning Liverpool) as it would be a privilege but I think Liverpool is in fantastic hands with the current group.”
But now it seems those hands want to sell the club and interest is also expected from the Middle East and possibly from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Oldham-born billionaire, the founder and boss of chemical giant Ineos, already owns French club Nice and has a big stake in the Mercedes Formula One team. He has previously expressed a desire to buy Manchester United but the Glazers have told him it is not for sale.
Liverpool, however, is now for sale and even if Henry compromised and sold only a share of the club, he would still bank a stunning profit on his original investment.
