One of the most prominent investors in American sport are considering their options over a move for Liverpool, although they are unlikely to emerge successful.
The ECHO has learned from US sources that Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), a firm that has ownership stakes the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team, the New Jersey Devils NHL team and MLS side Real Salt Lake, among many others, are 'mulling their options' when it comes to engaging in a move for the Reds.
Last week it emerged that Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group were opening themselves up to offers for the club having engaged US banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to seek out potential minority investors.
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Sources with knowledge of the situation in the US have told the ECHO that that while the move by FSG to entertain bids for the club is correct, there is no rush to push through any kind of sale and one will only occur if the valuation is met by an individual or group who FSG find agreeable, the number understood to be around $4bn.
A number of names have entered the frame following last week's developments, with the likes of Sir Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS founder and OGC Nice owner), Mukesh Ambani (one-time bidder for Liverpool and eighth richest man in the world), the Ricketts family (Chicago Cubs owners), Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holdings and Emirates Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of the UAE, all having either publicly ruled themselves out or understood to have done so privately.
HBSE is a name that has been linked since the start, the group that is fronted by US billionaires Josh Harris and David Blitzer having been in the race to acquire Chelsea earlier this year before losing out to the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital led £2.5bn bid.
Blitzer and Harris both own 18 per cent each of Premier League side Crystal Palace, an interest that they would have had to divest had they been successful in buying Chelsea and one that they would have to rid themselves of if they did decide to press ahead and were ultimately successful in taking over at Liverpool.
Blitzer, when speaking at the Sportico Invest in Sports conference in New York last month, where the ECHO were present, hinted at their approach if a major Premier League asset became available again.
"At the end of the day I love Crystal Palace, and people who know me well will know I love Crystal Palace," said the 53-year-old, an extremely well know figure in investment circles in the US.
"But there are a handful of teams/brands out there on a global basis, and Chelsea is one of them. The opportunity to invest in that particular situation with a very small number of people, frankly, given it was a complicated situation, we were comfortable giving that our best shot.
"We would have had to divest our interest in Crystal Palace had that come through. If that had happened it would have been a really sad day in one sense, but again back to the investment part it would have been a really interesting investment in terms of what's out there for Chelsea. Then I would have probably had to hide a little bit when I went to London."
According to Bloomberg, Harris' net worth stands at around £6.25bn, with Blitzer's around £1bn.
When HBSE entered the race for Chelsea they didn't do it alone. As well as enlisting the help of former London 2012 Olympics chairman Lord Sebastian Coe and Indian entrepreneur and owner of the Sacramento Kings NBA team, Vivek Ranadive, HBSE also brought on board Sir Martin Broughton, the former chairman of Liverpool who played a key role in the early months of FSG's Liverpool tenure. The person that recommended Broughton for that role, Wall Street financier Michael Klein, is well known to FSG due to his work on their acquisition of the Reds and was part of the consortium bidding for Chelsea.
HBSE also have a relationship with institutional investors Arctos Sports Partners, a private equity firm that has stakes in multiple US sports teams as well as being a partner of Liverpool owners FSG since 2021.
It is understood that while there is interest in the prospect of exploring a Liverpool move there has been 'no firm decision' taken and that no talks have taken place between either party. The situation remains that the banks looking after the potential sale of either a partial or full shareholding are not far down the road with any interested parties and that Mike Gordon, who is relinquishing much of his day to day involvement with Liverpool to club CEO Billy Hogan, is tasked with leading on any sale or investment opportunities that are presented.
Blitzer also has his own investment vehicle, Global Football Holdings, which has ownership stakes in a number of football clubs including Brondby IF, AD Alcorcon, ADO Den Haag and FC Augsburg. It is understood that the appeal of Chelsea was to have them as something of a beachhead for a multi-club portfolio, something that may well come into the thinking for Liverpool.
One major issue will be price. At £2.5bn, albeit with a £1.75bn commitment to future investment into infrastructure, Chelsea was seen as something of a bargain when compared to the valuations of US sports franchises, where a multiple of revenue of five was where the valuation was reached against multiple of revenues of seven, eight and nine to own US teams.
While there may be interest in putting together some kind of bid there is considerable doubt among some high level US sources that the ECHO spoke to that any such deal with HBSE will materialise, with the lack of urgency to on John Henry's behalf to part with the club likely to bear out in the fact that a bargain price won't be able to be negotiated.
Sources maintain that FSG and Henry are 'testing the waters'.
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