Liverpool could potentially be set to benefit from significant off-field investment this summer, according to one Merseyside-based journalist.
In the wake of an interview given by John Henry to the ECHO in which he discussed FSG’s future plans for the club, Dave Powell hosted an online Q&A for the publication and fielded a serious of queries from Reds supporters.
One of those came from a reader named Nathan Quinn, who asked whether any prospective investors would soon purchase a stake at Anfield.
The Liverpool ECHO journalist replied: “The process, as Henry said, has identified potential investors. Selling a minority stake is obviously an easier process that a full sale with a lesser degree of due diligence. Will still take months, but sure summer will be seen as a date to get something done.
“As for interested parties, NDAs would be in place but the Liberty Media link, while I’ve not been told that specifically, would make a lot of sense. A partner that has serious funds and expertise to scale a media business.”
It was reported by The Telegraph last week that FSG ‘are looking at major media companies as potential investors to take a minority stake in the club’.
Liberty Media were named in the report as a potential investor, with the Boston-based enterprise owning Major League Baseball team Atlanta Braves and acquiring Formula One.
The scale of the company’s wealth was laid bare by a report from Forbes in January which cited it as the world’s most valuable sports empire, with a value of $20.8bn (£17.6m). Imagine someone of such vast wealth coming in at Anfield and the cash injection it could bring.
Henry preached a message of sustainability in his interview with the Liverpool ECHO, although a potential influx of investment might give the Reds much greater scope to go large in the summer transfer window.
It’s clearly still early days in terms of any investor getting on board, although Powell’s comments offer hope that something tangible might materialise in the foreseeable future.