Liverpool look ready for the takeover, with the Qatar Investment Authority potentially in place very soon
(Image credit: Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
Liverpool takeover talks are ongoing – and the Reds could have new owners in the "near future".
US-based Fenway Sports Group have owned the club since the start of the 2010/11 season when the club was on the verge of bankruptcy. Back then, the Reds' creditors asked the High Court to allow the sale of the club, overruling the wishes of previous owners, Hicks and Gillett.
Now, significant Qatari investment could be coming to Merseyside, with FSG selling up. It's thought that the sale of Chelsea to American businessman Todd Boehly was one of the main reasons that owner John W. Henry has decided to float the sale of the Reds.
John W. Henry meets with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ahead of the 2022 Champions League final in Madrid (Image credit: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Now, the Express are stating that the deal could be done in the "near future" – and that one of the potential options is that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) become minority shareholders, with FSG remaining on board at Liverpool. Discussions are underway according to the Daily Mail.
The firm's chief executive Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud has recently admitted, too, that investing in football is something that his company are keen to pursue.
"Football, the clubs and the sport, is becoming very commercialised in a way, especially now fans are looking into this as an experience, so they would like to and experience and entertain themselves," he said at the World Economic Forum earlier this month.
"At the same time, digitalisation is becoming very important for this. So, the business model of these institutions is becoming very commercialised and very investment friendly. You will not be surprised if we invest in this.
Mansour bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud speaks during a press conference announcing the opening date of Qatar's national museum in 2018 (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
"We have not made up our mind yet but this is a very commercially driven decision that we go through. And again, sports are becoming a very important theme as well; people are engaged more in a sport and digitalisation is making it more attractive to investors."
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QIA would become the third Middle Eastern Premier League ownership group, following Abu Dhabi's City Football Group at Manchester City and Saudi Arabia's PIF at Newcastle United.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
