Topic: Liverpool Owners Turn Down £1.5bn Offer to Buy Club From Dubai Financier

[Samie]

From a UAE based site. 

https://www.thenational.ae/world/liverpool-owners-turned-down-1-5bn-offer-to-buy-club-from-dubai-financier-1.670628

The American owners of Liverpool FC turned down a deal worth up to £1.5 billion to sell the club to an investment consortium led by Dubai financier Amanda Staveley, it has emerged.

Following more than a year of negotiations, the sale was killed at the eleventh hour by Fenway Sports Group, who also own the Boston Red Sox, with FSG believing that the economic outlook for the English Premier League was such that they could realise a better price in the future, sources close to the negotiations told The National.

Until now, speculation has swarmed around Ms Staveley and her firm PCP Capital Partners over the possibility that either Liverpool or their rivals Newcastle United could be the subject of a bid after she and her husband - and the firm’s managing partner - Mehrdad Ghodoussi were seen at St James’ Park earlier this month for a Premier League match between the two clubs. It was in fact at that match that the pair turned their attentions to a potential acquisition of Newcastle United, the sources said.

Since then, Newcastle owner and Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has announced his intention to sell the side he first acquired an interest in in 2007. A consortium, led by PCP Capital Partners and including Arabian Gulf and Chinese investors, is now in discussions to buy the club for a deal worth at least £300m. However, the initial focus was on Liverpool, the sources said, with talks that first began in April last year.

Ms Staveley was also involved in an earlier and ultimately fruitless bid by Dubai investors for Liverpool in 2008. Similarly, it was the actions of the then American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett that helped kill the deal at the last minute. This time it appeared that the deal would go through given the offer of an initial £1.2bn in cash potentially rising to £1.5bn contingent on certain criteria such as Uefa Champions League performance. FSG bought the club for £300m in 2010. However, FSG pulled the plug last month because, the sources said, with global TV rights expected to rapidly increase over the next two cycles the group believed that the club was being undervalued. Premier League rivals Manchester United are valued at around £2.7bn, according to KPMG.

Interest from digital media companies, such as Facebook and Amazon, ahead of next year’s auction of Premier League broadcasting rights – both domestic and global – has led to football clubs anticipating that traditional broadcasters will pay more to secure live football which is a critical part of their business models. For the 2016-2019 period overall TV rights.

[Rattleduser]

“We have better things to do than batting down rumours about negotiations with Ms Staveley,” Werner told the ECHO.

“However, there's no truth to them.”

[Lush is the best medicine...]

“This is our price”

[killer-heels]

Never sounds good when its a ‘consortium’.

[Barneylfc∗]

“We have better things to do than batting down rumours about negotiations with Ms Staveley,” Werner told the ECHO.

“However, there's no truth to them.”

That really depends on whether you think he's being truthful or not. He sat on live TV and told people we have the resources to compete with any club.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Never sounds good when its a ‘consortium’.

our current owners are a consortium aren’t they?

[Rattleduser]

That really depends on whether you think he's being truthful or not. He sat on live TV and told people we have the resources to compete with any club.

I'll probably just go along with whatever the anfield wraps viewpoint on it is.

[JD.]

Crazy how much profit they are going to make when they do eventually sell despite pretty much doing nothing of note other than loaning the club money to build a stand which pays for itself pretty quickly.

They'll make circa £1b despite winning nothing and leaving the club - on the pitch, as we are much better off it obviously - pretty much exactly where it was when they took over. The 6th best side in the league.

That's not an anti-FSG post by the way. Just more an observation on how Premier League clubs just by standing still have soared in value due to the TV deals mostly.

[cdav]

Probably just good free publicity for the buying group. Seems a big difference in status of clubs- buying one for £1.5bn to going to buying one for £300m.

Unless they go full Everton and presume Newcastle have £1.2bn in cash now

[killer-heels]

our current owners are a consortium aren’t they?

Yes and its not like they have been amazing owners.

[Skidder.]

Echo said she was fronting a bid for both The Magpies and us - I thought that this was ill practice?

[Mutton Geoff]

A Nothing in it Story,  great for the Tin Foil Warriors though!

[jambutty]

$2B and the FSG out brigade get their wish.

[JackWard33]

Utter bollocks on every level

[Trendisnotdestiny]

Anyone with insight as to "Why now or Why in the last 12 months"? 

These consortiums have been flush with money for some time now.

Rodney Marsh here in the states is saying this is more of a story for Newcastle - not Liverpool.

[Fiasco]

I don't doubt FSG would sell at the right price, however that right price is probably close to the £2bn mark. I can't see anybody paying that, at least not when you take into consideration we aren't regulars in the Champions League as it stands.

[LiverBirdKop]

FSG will never sell. They're in this for love of the club! Henry himself has been a fan since September 2010!

Don't believe this, but you never know. Mediocre owners, but a new consortium could be a lot worse.

£1.5bn is a ton of money. Why would anyone pay that much for LFC? To double money in 10 years?  Surely better investments out there, like Bitcoin or something. 

[Lycan]

This story is a load of bollocks. FSG are never going to let go anyway. We make too much money for them.

[clinical]

our current owners are a consortium aren’t they?

Exactly.

Also if it were true they'd be absolute mad to turn down £1.5bn

[jillcwhomever]

A nothing story only three papers even mentioning it.

[Pistolero]

Do they sell XXL carpet bags in TJ's?...

[nayia2002]

Who the fuck is coming up with these stories??!! 

No chance would fsg would turn down 1.5 billion for the club

[BarryCrocker]

Pretty piss poor offer. It's only 11 Coutinho's.

[Lycan]

No chance would fsg would turn down 1.5 billion for the club

Not sure about that myself. This club is a nice little earner for them. And with the new TV deals coming in we're going to become even more profitable.

This story is a load of bullshit though.

[Upinsmoke]

They'll never sell. The club is too valuable to there portfolio.

[Dave D]

How many yachts can you buy with that sort of money? Probably not enough.

I don't think they want to sell just yet. They clearly want to finish what they started. A new tier on top of an existing stand, some landscaping, and cementing our place as a top 8 club in the premier league. They're nearly there.

[ThePoolMan]

Crazy how much profit they are going to make when they do eventually sell despite pretty much doing nothing of note other than loaning the club money to build a stand which pays for itself pretty quickly.

They'll make circa £1b despite winning nothing and leaving the club - on the pitch, as we are much better off it obviously - pretty much exactly where it was when they took over. The 6th best side in the league.

That's not an anti-FSG post by the way. Just more an observation on how Premier League clubs just by standing still have soared in value due to the TV deals mostly.

Frankly Manchester City hit the jackpot when they basically netted the state of Qatar as their owner. All other  investors who will buy at those ridiculous prices will probably not be good for the club.

[CraigDS]

Not sure about that myself. This club is a nice little earner for them.

They don’t make any money from us currently, so we’re hardly a nice litter earner for them.

Seems like a complete nothing story. Plus our value is only going to increase so don’t see why they’d look to sell unless the offer wayyyy overvalues the club.

[clinical]

They don’t make any money from us currently, so we’re hardly a nice litter earner for them.

Seems like a complete nothing story. Plus our value is only going to increase so don’t see why they’d look to sell unless the offer wayyyy overvalues the club.

There will be a point where it no longer does if we don't perform on the pitch. The part they sadly aren't that bothered about.

[PhilV]

I thought FSG were shite owners who didn't improve the club in any way shape or form and just wanted the moneys from a sell on, surely 1.5 Billion is a good return on investment if that was the case, it couldn't be they actually want to run LFC successfully surely?

Oh yeah and nothing of note but the stand, the academy/training ground  merge/development, Klopp, sponsorship deals and shirt deals to make us self sufficient etc...nah, running a business in a financial responsible way is deffo bad ownership...


FML some of our fans wouldn't last 3 months running their own business.

[killer-heels]

There will be a point where it no longer does if we don't perform on the pitch. The part they sadly aren't that bothered about.

We have won fuck all for years and have had crap league finishes and we have still seen our value rise from £300m or whatever they bought it from to £1.5bn, if this article is to be believed.

I agree that any value will stagnate as TV money stays stable.

[Funky_Gibbons]

They don’t make any money from us currently, so we’re hardly a nice litter earner for them.

Seems like a complete nothing story. Plus our value is only going to increase so don’t see why they’d look to sell unless the offer wayyyy overvalues the club.

We're not a 'nice little earner' in terms of making revenue for them each year, but they bought us for £300m and they're now valuing it at £1.5bn so the club is making a nice profit for them.

[Billy The Kid]

From a business point of view, it makes sense for FSG to turn them down

With the amount of money that's going to come from broadcasting in the next few years - they'd be fools to sell now

[Titi Camara]

If anyone has a link to a more reputable source, PM a MOD.