Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have once again been linked with the purchase of a Brazilian football team.
As part of their 'FSG 3.0' plan for their third decade of sports ownership, expanding the number of sporting teams in their empire is a key strategy, with the Reds' owners having acquired the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL ice hockey team for $900m back in November of last year.
An NBA franchise is also on their wish list, potentially an expansion franchise in Las Vegas in the future, although the unexpected availability of the Phoenix Suns on the market will likely see FSG take a look at its feasibility.
But one area where they are also expected to add is that of another football team to the empire. Liverpool are the most valuable sporting team in the FSG portfolio at more than £3.7bn, and with US interest blossoming ahead of the World Cup in the States in 2026, as well as the booming media rights for the Premier League delivered from the North American market for the next cycle, it is a sport where FSG see further growth opportunities that could help benefit Liverpool in the longer term.
READ MORE: Jordan Henderson sends message to Jude Bellingham amid Liverpool transfer links
FSG have been linked with the potential purchase of a Brazilian team due to the changing nature of the domestic football landscape in the country through governance, a potential breakaway league, an expected lift in media rights and teams becoming more open to outside investment than they had traditionally been.
The Brazilian domestic market is changing, and the country where the beautiful game is the national sport and receives fervent support in a nation where the population is north of 215m there is enormous scope for growth, investors believe, particularly with the revamping of the domestic game.
A number of Brazilian clubs are changing the way they are governed, which has opened up opportunities for outside investment. With some having the need to find funds to deal with the impact of the pandemic, some clubs are now switching from a non-profit entity to a corporate one in a bid to restructure its finances, forming a ‘Sociedade Anônima’ (SA) to attract investors. That has alerted interested parties, a number of them from the US.
US sports business website Sportico reported earlier this year that top clubs from Brazil's first and second divisions met to discuss the creation of a new 'Super League' in the country, with clubs wanting to have more control over the media rights deals that are struck and wanting to be able to negotiate better terms for themselves. The report suggested that five of Brazil's elite teams sought to join forces with a group of 11 clubs from the top tier's middle clubs and the biggest clubs in the second division to expedite plans to launch a new league, something that would likely pique the interest of FSG, who watch on with interest.
With a new TV deal coming down the tracks for Brazilian football, one that is expected to be extremely lucrative, profit sharing of media rights was at the top of the agenda when the clubs met back in May, with Sportico reporting that any new league created would have to have unanimous approval from the 40 clubs that compete in Serie A and Serie B of the Campeonato Brasileiro.
Any FSG interest in acquiring a Brazilian side would almost certainly be linked to those clubs who are actively looking to form the new league, as that is where the perceived growth and most lucrative market lies. Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Red Bull Bragantino have been negotiating together, with another 11 clubs on a different side of the negotiating table; Botafogo, Fluminese, Gremio, Cruzeiro, Atletico Mineiro, Bahia, Paranaense and Vasco da Gama believed to be among them.
One of the clubs on that list, Atletico Mineiro, have been identified by Brazilian media as a club who FSG have a keen interest in, with well followed Brazilian fan-lead outlet Fala Galo claiming, via the Rio Times, that FSG are 'a strong candidate to buy the rights of Atlético in 2023'.
As well as the media rights and likely growing value of sporting teams in the country at the creation of a breakaway league, having a team in South America could benefit Liverpool and FSG by being able to house talent from the region that could enable the Reds to navigate their way through the tougher regulations around work permits, where overseas players must meet a strict points quota accrued through achievements at youth and senior football and club and international level to be able to obtain permission to play in the UK.
Liverpool have a strong Brazilian connection through the likes of Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker, while Brazilian goalkeeping legend Claudio Taffarel is part of the Reds' coaching staff.
Over the past year a number of Brazilian clubs have fallen under new ownership. Crystal Palace investor John Textor has taken a controlling stake in Botafogo, and at Vasco da Gama there are new owners in the shape of 777 Partners, the private equity firm that owns Italian side Genoa.
Manchester City owners City Football Group have also been circling a full takeover of second tier side Bahia and lodged a £175m bid for the club over the weekend.
READ NEXT
-
Zinedine Zidane loved 'wasted' Liverpool legend who suffered familiar Trent Alexander-Arnold issue
-
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher launches Gareth Southgate defence after Trent Alexander-Arnold snub
-
Liverpool handed Marco Asensio transfer 'boost' as Real Madrid plan emerges
-
I know how Trent Alexander-Arnold feels - but Liverpool fans know the truth
-
Manchester United dominance over after £115m blow as Liverpool truth becomes clearer
