Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group have revealed there has been "a lot of interest" in the club from potential suitors after it emerged they were open to new investment earlier this month.
FSG have appointed US banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to aid the process as they explore their options 12 years after they initially purchased the club back in October 2010.
The Reds were purchased for a sum of around £300million back then. But after a decade of growth under John Henry and Tom Werner, capped by a hugely successful period under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp in recent years, the club is now valued at around £3.6bn, according to American business publication Forbes.
Already, numerous potential investors have been linked with the club, including Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. And now Sam Kennedy, CEO of the Boston Red Sox and a Fenway Sports partner, has given an update on the process.
“There has been a lot of interest from numerous potential partners considering investment into the club,” Kennedy has now revealed. “It is early days in terms of exploring possibilities for possible investment into Liverpool.
“Mike Gordon has done an extraordinary job of leading the club for the past decade-plus. He will be taking a step back from that role and (Liverpool CEO) Billy Hogan will be taking on more and more. Billy’s someone we’re particularly proud of in the Red Sox front office, he grew up in our organisation.”
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Kennedy was speaking at the Major League Baseball headquarters in New York. Liverpool's principal owner Henry was also in attendance alongside Werner, who is the chairman of FSG. There has been reported interest from parties interested in joining FSG in an investment capacity as well as suitors who are interested in acquiring the club outright.
Mirror Football reported back in April last year that FSG had decided to reject an offer of almost £3bn from the Middle East. And while Kennedy refused to be drawn on whether or not FSG would now be open to a full-scale sale, it seems as though no options are being taken off the table as the process continues.
He added: “Great companies grow by adding value to their business. One way to increase that value from time to time is to sell assets or add investors. Does that mean FSG is going to sell Liverpool? I do not know. It’s John Henry’s, Tom Werner’s and Mike Gordon’s job to responsibly run Fenway Sports Group and they felt this was an ideal time to explore possible opportunities for investment into the club.”
