Owners 'acting in the best interest of Liverpool'

2 years ago 33

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Liverpool owner John Henry with Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool's owners "are acting in the best interest of the club" by looking for new investment, says Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders.

The Athletic reported that FSG, which bought Liverpool in 2010, is "inviting offers".

"It's nothing new for a club to find new investors," Lijnders said.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday he added: "Everybody who saw us the last year and who know we have a strong relationship with the owners. We knew about the statement nothing more than you guys knew. The owners always act in the best interest of the club and they always did.

"For me, they are good owners and I will explain a few reasons why. First, they tied down one of the best managers in the world for seven plus years. Second, they tied down the best players in the squad. The even more important, we have a stable academy.

"They invested in the academy, one of the best training grounds in world football. They made a lot of good decisions. We won a lot of cups, a lot of international and national prizes."

In a statement released on Monday, FSG said it "remains fully committed to the success of Liverpool, both on and off the pitch".

Liverpool, Premier League runners-up last season, are eighth in the table.

They have reached the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Real Madrid in a repeat of last season's final.

An FSG statement read: "There have been a number of recent changes of ownership and rumours of changes in ownership at Premier League clubs, and inevitably we are asked regularly about Fenway Sports Group's ownership in Liverpool.

"FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool.

"FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club."

Liverpool supporters' union Spirit of Shankly said it hoped fans would be consulted in any talks involving new owners of the club.

"We have seen reports today that FSG have put Liverpool FC up for sale," it said in a statement on Monday.

"Spirit of Shankly have written to LFC for clarification and will await a reply before making comment. We do, however, expect both the Supporters Board and SOS to be engaged in some part of the process so that supporters are front and centre of any sale and the first thoughts of prospective owners.

"We will keep you updated."

FSG bought Liverpool in a £300m deal under its old name New England Sports Ventures.

Basketball star LeBron James has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011 and has a 2% stake which cost him £4.7m.

He has since become a minor partner in FSG, which also owns baseball side Boston Red Sox.

In March 2021, RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm, bought a stake in FSG for about $735m (£533m).

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