Dubai investors plot a £4.3bn Liverpool takeover after failed 2007 bid

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By Martin Graham | 10th Nov 2022

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is keen to sell Liverpool, with several interested parties. Dubai investors are weighing up a $5billion (£4.3bn) purchase of the club.

The Premier League is a lucrative league and has been an attractive destination for investors. It is undoubtedly the richest league on the planet, with many top players looking to ply their trade there. Recently, there has been an increase in investment companies looking to own a share of the clubs in the league.

The most notable takeover recently is the sale of Chelsea to Todd Boehly. The American bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for over £4 billion. It has become a trend for business interests outside of England to make moves for a share of the Premier League pie.

The new wave of interest from the middle seems to be growing, with another investor from Dubai eyeing one of the top clubs in England. Liverpool has become a target for investors in Dubai. Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are keen to sell the Anfield side, generating interest from several parties.

Liverpool up for sale
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has put Liverpool up for sale, with different parties showing interest in purchasing the club from the American owners. One of the contenders to take over the club is Dubai International Capital. The middle eastern group wants to emulate the owners of Newcastle United and Manchester City.

According to reports in the Middle East, investors in Dubai are mulling over a potential purchase of Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group (FSG). The American owners put the club up for sale, with Dubai investors weighing up a $5 billion (£4.3bn) purchase of the club.

FSG is keen to sell the club they have owned for 12 years and made a statement on Monday confirming their desires for the club. The club owners say they would consider new shareholders. They have invited offers for the club, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley assisting them.

The figures behind the sale
Forbes estimated the value of Liverpool at over £3.5 billion in May this year. The figure is nearly 12 times the amount the Americans paid for the club in 2010. The American sports investment company has set the asking price for the club at £4 billion. It will take an individual with deep pockets, a consortium or a state to take over the reins of the Reds.

It appears the more likely scenario is for one of the Middle Eastern investors to buy the club. It is due to the wealth of the Gulf states. On Tuesday, in a move that caught the eye of keen watchers, the Arabian business reported that Dubai International Capital (DIC) is interested in purchasing Liverpool.

The attempt to buy Liverpool will not be the first by DIC. The Dubai group attempted to buy the Merseyside club in 2007. A bid of $360million (£312m) was not enough to convince the American owners to sell. Sameer Al Ansari, the founding chairman of Dubai’s sovereign wealth fund, said in 201 that there was a hold-up due to him being a Liverpool fan.