Despite the statements about the imminent takeover of Liverpool by the Qataris, sources at Fenway Sports Group denied rumors about the sale of the club.
Back in November, FSG announced its intention to seek investments in Liverpool, hiring Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to help with this.
President Mike Gordon has given up his day-to-day duties at the club to lead the search for a possible buyer, although it is claimed that partial investments are more likely.
Interest is attributed to consortia from the United States, Germany and the Saudi-Qatari coalition, and last week Qatar declared “serious interest.”
However, this was caused by the account of a Liverpool fan, and it was not reported in any of the major news agencies or publications in Qatar.
Now James Pearce of The Athletic has passed on information from senior FSG sources who have “rejected recent suggestions that they are on the verge of selling Liverpool to a Qatari consortium or anyone else.”
“No discussions are at an advanced stage,” adds Pierce.
“They currently prefer to sell a small part of the club, but insist that nothing is expected on this front.”
Of course, there is little new in Pierce’s report, but it strengthens confidence that FSG will eventually agree terms with a minority investor, rather than sell out completely.
It is said that the owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner were determined to transfer Liverpool only to a buyer who would share the values of the club, and not to a state-funded group, say, from Qatar or Saudi Arabia.
At the weekend it became known that any official bids for Liverpool and Manchester United are expected next month.
However, it is unclear whether this is based on facts or pure speculation, particularly as Pierce explains that FSG “has not yet received any suitable attractive offers.”
