Qatar investors look set to capitalise on the groundwork laid out by the latest edition of the World Cup by laying down fresh roots in the Premier League with a bid for Manchester United.
Mike Keegan shared the news on Twitter, with Empire’s Peter Kenny Jones (citing Alex Miller) already noting that the investors in question are a separate entity to Liverpool-linked QIA.
With the $450bn-rich (according to Bloomberg, via Football Insider) group still ‘in talks’ with FSG, it’s possible (though unlikely for reasons we will explore below) that the Reds could still benefit from significant investment in the future.
READ MORE: Gary Neville blasts four Liverpool stars for doing something inexcusable
READ MORE: ‘No-one has the bottle…’ – Didi Hamann makes Klopp demand after James Pearce snub
Our stance on the matter remains unchanged – no state, nor a group closely affiliated with a regime connected with human rights abuses should be anywhere near the football club.
That’s not to say that a private entity completely separate from the state wouldn’t be tolerated, though one might fairly imagine such a scenario would be hard to come by.
From Fenway’s point of view too, it’s difficult to see talks eventually arriving at a positive conclusion for QIA given their reported commitment to leaving a sound legacy behind at Anfield.
With the club’s league position further deteriorating, however, and a general lack of reassurances of provided over funding ahead of the summer window since Tom Werner’s ‘business as usual’ proclamation, increasing pressure on the Americans could yet force a compromise.
The ongoing nature of talks would certainly hint at that, at the very least, despite the group remaining a far from palatable option for Liverpool fans who hold the club’s values close to their hearts.
40% of Liverpool’s summer loans failed – what’s happened to the club’s loan system?