After failing to get his hands on Chelsea earlier this year or to persuade Manchester United's owners to sell up, it was six words uttered by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in October that made clear his growing desire to own and operate a Premier League club.
Britain’s wealthiest man, owner of chemicals company INEOS and who has dipped his toe into football club ownership with French side Nice, spoke at a Financial Times event in October and didn’t so much drop a hint as put his cards firmly in the centre of table: If there’s a deal to be had among the Premier League elite, he wants in.
Ratcliffe had appeared keen on purchasing Chelsea earlier this year when Roman Abramovich was forced to sell up, but only elected to submit a bid after an initial deadline had passed. Ultimately, despite a late offer potentially worth £4.25bn, the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital were given the nod and took charge at Stamford Bridge instead.
Six months later, after having officially ruled out a bid for Manchester United - the Glazers aren’t selling for less than £10bn right now, a ridiculously high price tag - Ratcliffe mused at the FT event: “We have a sports franchise. We own a third of Mercedes' Formula 1 team. Robbed last year.
“The one thing we don't have… football is the most popular sport in the world. We should have a Premier club. Nice has got a very interesting history. We'll have a look at what we might be able to do with Nice."
There it was, slap bang in the middle. Not so much hiding in plain sight as poking its head out and staring directly at you, daring. Not ‘could’. Not ‘would like’. Instead, “we should have a premier club.”
Perhaps missing out on taking over at the club where he has long held a season ticket (Chelsea), and the club of whom he is a self-confessed supporter (United), have emboldened Ratcliffe’s desire to get into the Premier League.
And now, Liverpool are on the table.
It’s been no secret that, for a number of years, Fenway Sports Group have been open to outside investment at Anfield but now, for the first time, a full sale is on offer. The failure of the European Super League to get off the ground - John W Henry believed it would have enhanced the club’s value even further than its current £3.6bn Forbes valuation - coupled with UEFA’s inability to properly enforce Financial Fair Play against state-run clubs has seen FSG grow weary.
Throw in the coming years where a squad overhaul will be required with a number of key players now the wrong side of 30, and the uncertainty that Jurgen Klopp’s eventual departure will bring, and it’s perhaps not that surprising that a full sales presentation has been produced for interested parties and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been retained to assist with the process of selling up.
Mirror Football understands FSG want £4bn to sell entirely. After an initial investment of £300million in 2010, that’s quite the profit.
Would Ratcliffe, personally valued at over £10bn, be willing to meet the asking price? Certainly he has the means and while prior allegiances may be an issue for some supporters, it’s unlikely to hold him back.
Ultimately, it will come down to whether or not the INEOS chief believes Liverpool can make a profit. That’s the bottom line.
But Ratcliffe has never been more attracted to making the jump into owning a Premier League club than he appears to be right now. A more ideal opportunity to become a major player in world football may never come across his horizon again.
