Saudi Arabia are reportedly interested in buying two Premier League clubs in the near future, despite the Public Investment Fund of the nation already owning Newcastle United.
PIF acquired Newcastle for £300m in 2021, but despite a marked improvement in the club's fortunes in the short time since, the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) have limited the club's spending somewhat.
So, with a Premier League title still seemingly a long way off for Newcastle, it seems the state is potentially keen on more immediate success with a different Premier League side.
Saudi Arabia targeting Liverpool or Chelsea
According to The Independent, the Saudi state is targeting the takeover of an elite club in European football, with Newcastle reportedly not deemed a big enough club to create positive headlines for the nation.
But while the takeover has come under fresh scrutiny following leaked messages from former Newcastle director Amanda Staveley regarding Crown Prince bin Salman's involvement in the deal to buy the Magpies, a reported separate group from Saudi Arabia are now looking to acquire another Premier League side.
Barcelona are mentioned as a possibility, though the report highlights Liverpool and Chelsea as the main targets.
While it's currently unclear whether a takover will happen, what is clear is that both Liverpool and Chelsea will cost considerably more than Newcastle initially did. Liverpool were valued by Forbes as the fourth most-valuable team in the world earlier this year, with their £4.2bn valuation only behind Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona.
Fenway Sports Group could therefore make more than ten times what they initially paid for Liverpool in 2010, with their £300m takeover an investement now worth a lot more. FSG have also seemingly been open to offers over the past couple of years, with Qatar-based group, Qatar Investment Authority, heavily rumoured for a takeover at one stage.
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Chelsea, meanwhile, might prove a little tougher to takeover. Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital only acquired the club in May 2022, with the consortium now known as BlueCo taking full ownership of the Blues for an inital £2.5bn. They promised an additional £1.75bn of investment thereafter in the club's infrastructure, taking the overall value of the deal to £4.25bn.
Forbes now value Chelsea at £2.4bn, making them the ninth most valuable team in the world. BlueCo, though, would want a much larger offer before even considering a sale.
In FourFourTwo's view, it seems unlikely that the Saudi state would manage to buy Chelsea without an ultimately ridiculous offer, with Liverpool the easier - and apparently, more valuable - target.
