Topic: Chinese Group Want To Buy Club From Fenway

[Samie]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-takeover-state-backed-chinese-group-want-to-buy-club-from-fenway-for-700m-a7083836.html

An investment group supported by the Chinese state government is attempting to purchase Liverpool for £700million, The Independent can reveal.

It has emerged that Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group have been aware of the proposal from SinoFortone since March.

SinoFortone, who are fronted by managing director Peter Zhang, has committed £5.2billion towards new projects in the UK over the last 12 months.

They have already explored the potential of building a new stadium in the dockland area of Liverpool, appreciating that Anfield’s new main stand will be completed in September.

Their plans also involve the redevelopment of the club’s training ground at Melwood and the installation of a series of football academies across China.

It is believed that Fenway, who are led by John W. Henry, are reluctant to sell Liverpool at this moment and have been unreceptive to the approach.


While the Premier League’s new television rights deal potentially increases the value of all English top flight clubs to unprecedented levels, there is a confidence within FSG that Jürgen Klopp will lead Liverpool into a new era of sporting prosperity, an era, indeed, the current owners would like to be around for.

SinoFortone are also thought to be open to the idea of part-investment in Liverpool, offering FSG a medium to long-term exit strategy. This might appeal more to key yet ageing figureheads like Henry and chairman Tom Werner, who will both turn 67 at their next birthdays.

The bidder specialises in large-scale infrastructure projects, building roads, railways, airports, seaports and power stations across China and the Middle East.

In March SinoFortone agreed a green energy and affordable housing scheme investment with the Scottish government. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon signed off the contract, which might eventually be worth £10bn. She was later accused by opposition parties of misleading Scots over the secrecy around the agreement, which also involved the China Railway Group.

Last year, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Britain, SinoFortone committed £2bn towards two eco-parks in north and south west Wales, which will see two biomass power stations built in Anglesey and Port Talbot.

SinoFortone has earmarked a substantial sum towards the London Paramount Entertainment Resort, which is due to open in Dartford, Kent, in 2021. It is also involved in the proposed Crossrail 2 rail line running through London into Hertfordshire as well as the building of new metro systems in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.

Liverpool is thought to be an attractive proposition to SinoFortone, not least because of the club’s history and reasonable current standing, but also because the city is home to Europe’s oldest Chinese community.

In April, work on the £200m New Chinatown project began less than a mile away from Liverpool’s city centre. The development will include 850 new houses, 150,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, and a new hotel.

Though SinoFortone are not behind this project, its plans were presented to President Xi’s delegation during his visit to Manchester last October.

[NorthamptonKopite]

Sell up and buy everyone. I'm sick of being shit.

[Barneylfc∗]

Is that you Tony?

[dylman]

I wonder how many Moshiri's China is worth?

[King Klopp.]

Don't see it to be honest. £700m? No chance. They bought the club for a bargain apparently at £300m and have made us far better financially since then. They have built the new stand etc and massive TV money now as well. £700m wouldn't get them to sell.

Also, if this group isn't going to be a 'sugar daddy' type ownership group which I don't think it is, then I'd rather we stuck with FSG. End of the day, they are sensible sports guys. They make mistakes but they get sport. They aren't making crazy decisions like you get at other clubs. They aren't Hicks and Gillette.

Unless the new ownership group was a 'sugar daddy' type owner I'd rather we stuck with FSG. Even then I'd rather we stuck with FSG than got an Abramovich owner who hires and fires and interfeers. Man City ownership is the dream, loads of money but sit back and don't get involved, but can't see us getting that.

Edit: The chinese also they want to build a new stadium. That alone should set alarm bells ringing for anyone who wants this. Rather stay at the redeveloped Anfield, thanks.

[NorthamptonKopite]

Don't see it to be honest. £700m? No chance. They bought the club for a bargain apparently at £300m and have made us far better financially since then. They have built the new stand etc and massive TV money now as well. £700m wouldn't get them to sell.

Also, if this group isn't going to be a 'sugar daddy' type ownership group which I don't think it is, then I'd rather we stuck with FSG. End of the day, they are sensible sports guys. They make mistakes but they get sport. They aren't making crazy decisions like you get at other clubs. They aren't Hicks and Gillette.

Unless the new ownership group was a 'sugar daddy' type owner I'd rather we stuck with FSG. Even then I'd rather we stuck with FSG than got an Abramovich owner who hires and fires and interfeers. Man City ownership is the dream, loads of money but sit back and don't get involved, but can't see us getting that.

Did you not read the article? That is definitely what they'd be by the sounds of things.

[ScouserAtHeart]

I wonder how many Moshiri's China is worth?

Surely you mean how many China's is Moshiri worth

[killer-heels]

Chinese state ownership doesnt sound great.

[exiledintheUSA]

Deja Vu.

[Adam_LFC]

Skeptical as fuck about this.

[HighSix]

Seems to early for FSG to sell... A couple of more seasons with Klopp will see us climb the league, improve the squad & the full force of new TV deal will be felt.

[King Klopp.]

Did you not read the article? That is definitely what they'd be by the sounds of things.

Really? They are a company are they not? Only time you see sugar daddy money thrown around is when it's one rich fucker using his personal cash.

[dylman]

Surely you mean how many China's is Moshiri worth

Of course, how silly of me. 

[FiSh77]

a great bunch of lads

[Sibierski Nazário]

FSG is just the Arsene Wenger of owners solid stability, but we aren't ever going to push the boat or show some ambition.

I would welcome owners with serious spending power or at least some footballing plan.

FSG has been here almost 6 years and still no footballing structure in place at the club, they said they came here to win... seen no evidence of that just happy for things to tick over and sell our best players, case in point Arsenal 2.0 although we can't even finish top 4 on a regular basis.

No idea why everyone is so in love with the FSG ownership we will never go anywhere with these people the Boston Red sox is their 1st love, hasn't the last 6 years shown this...

[Robert_B]

Meh. Become another rich man's play thing or earn what we have... I'd much rather the latter. Unfortunately, barring a Klopp-sized miracle, the latter option is the path to mediocrity these days.

Oh how I long for a simpler time...

[4pool]

Graeme Kelly ‏@GraemeKelly1 1m1 minute ago

Nothing like breaking the story when you're not in the lead to purchase the club. #Chinese

[killer-heels]

Graeme Kelly ‏@GraemeKelly1 1m1 minute ago

Nothing like breaking the story when you're not in the lead to purchase the club. #Chinese

Shit just got real, but awful at the same time.

[Clint Eastwood]

Don't know how I'd feel about this. It's become more and more evident over the last few years that if we want to get where we want to be and stay there, we're going to need a financial backing similar to that of City, Chelsea and United. Even the less well-off big clubs like Dortmund struggle to maintain the heights they reach.

[CHOPPER]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/xCc-RWIp7XU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/xCc-RWIp7XU</a>

[Zoomers]

Finally something to talk about .

[biscansmicer]

Desperately hope we stay at Anfield. Thought the main stand renovation meant that was more or less guaranteed

[Samie]

[koptommy93]

Sounds awful on so many levels. Connected to the chinese government? Grim

[Ste08]

FSG have been here nearly 6 years. 1 CL campaign, 1 trophy. Maybe it would good for them to take the profit and focus entirely on US sport.

[CraigDS]

What are working conditions like under the Chinese? 

[Red_Rich]

New stadium in the docks? WTF for? The one we have will be 60.000 before long.

[King Klopp.]

Graeme Kelly ‏@GraemeKelly1 1m1 minute ago

Nothing like breaking the story when you're not in the lead to purchase the club. #Chinese

Nothing like an ITK teasing half info but never actually committing to a full story.

[exiledintheUSA]

New stadium in the docks? WTF for?

To cast a huge, fuck-off, shadow over the one Moshi is going to build.

[4pool]

New stadium in the docks? WTF for? The one we have will be 60.000 before long.

As Everton are on about a stadium down at the docks.....expect a shared stadium.

[CraigDS]

How long until a spade in the ground?

[Always_A_Red]

Graeme Kelly ‏@GraemeKelly1 1m1 minute ago

Nothing like breaking the story when you're not in the lead to purchase the club. #Chinese

   

[exiledintheUSA]

What are working conditions like under the Chinese? 

We'll be allowed to lose 2 games a season.

[CraigDS]

We'll be allowed to lose 2 games a season.

What about for their, erm, forum posting department?

[The G in Gerrard]

Graeme Kelly ‏@GraemeKelly1 1m1 minute ago

Nothing like breaking the story when you're not in the lead to purchase the club. #Chinese

Who would be then?

[Haggis36]

Doubt there's anything in it, and doubt FSG would even blink at an offer of £700m, but if/when they do sell us I do feel confident that they would choose a bidder responsibly.

[King Klopp.]

FSG have been here nearly 6 years. 1 CL campaign, 1 trophy. Maybe it would good for them to take the profit and focus entirely on US sport.

First full season:
Losing FA Cup finalist.
League Cup Winner.

Third Season:
Threw the league title away.

Fourth Season:
Losing League Cup Semi Final.
Bottled FA Cup semi Final vs Villa.

Fifth Season:
Losing League Cup Finalist.
Losing Europa League Finalist.

We have competed for loads of trophies since they took over. Not sure how we can blame FSG for Stevie accidently slipping or the players letting a FA Cup semi final vs Villa 'be too big for them' or completely going missing in a Europa League final.

[exiledintheUSA]

Who would be then?

Bet it's Robert Kraft again...

[CraigDS]

Bet it's Robert Kraft again...

Colonel Gaddafi.

[rich87]

So sounds like more than one investor wants to purchase the club? How come nobody wanted it a few years ago, and now everybody wants it? For almost double the price.

Be a strange time to sell, but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me - sell on a high, rather than a low.

We just got Klopp, just made a European Final, new stand, although talk of a new stadium, but that could be just rumour with them into building projects they've done.

Who knows...