It's time for your Liverpool morning digest on Wednesday, January 25.
Liverpool £535m boost could influence sale as FSG plan next steps
Liverpool's valuation has risen by as much as £535m over the past two years according to analysts from US sports business website Sportico.
Reds owners Fenway Sports Group are currently in the process of sourcing fresh investment into the club through a partial sale, although they would be willing to listen to offers of a full sale. The latter is understood to not be principal owner John W. Henry's preference at this time.
The valuation of the club is something that has been a hot topic, with the Reds, acquired in 2010 by FSG for just over £300m, in play with a valuation north of $4bn. Sources with knowledge of the deal in the US told the ECHO last month that only offers above and beyond $4bn would spark any kind of high level talks.
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No formal talks have been held as yet, while there has been no bid received for the football club or concrete interest that has warranted serious discussions. That could change in the coming weeks, however, with interest likely to be put to FSG through Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the investment banks facilitating the search, with US private equity and institutional investors likely to show their hand in some form. Interest from the MENA region could also be presented, although nothing has materialised as yet.
Read the full story HERE.
Liverpool have run out of options to repeat major FSG transfer trick
While the last five years have established Liverpool as one of the most astute operators in the transfer market, incomings have only formed part of that reputation.
Under the sporting director model, Jurgen Klopp, Michael Edwards and Julian Ward have brought in some of the most vaunted players in decades at Anfield with the help of their recruitment team.
But for every Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, there are a number of less-heralded deals that have helped supplement what is available to Klopp in his efforts to reshape the squad to his liking.
In the summer of 2018, Liverpool were able to fetch £20m for Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, while Danny Ward brought in £12.5m after he was deemed surplus to requirements following the arrival of Alisson.
The following year, Danny Ings was signed by Southampton for a fee of £20m after a successful loan spell, while youngsters Rafa Camacho and Ryan Kent fetched about £15m between them when they moved to Sporting Lisbon and Rangers.
Liverpool earned £23.5m for Rhian Brewster in the summer of 2020 when he joined Sheffield United. Nearly three years on from that deal, it looks like a remarkable one but the Reds' valuation was determined by the market forces of the time.
For a club like Liverpool, who are bound by the self-sustaining model favoured by owners Fenway Sports Group, such a way of working is imperative to providing additional funds, but a cursory glance around the current squad might evoke a feeling of unease for those tasked with raising extra millions at Anfield.
Read the full story HERE.
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