The revelations at the beginning of November that Fenway Sports Group would listen to offers from those wanting to acquire their full shareholding in Liverpool jolted others into action.
In the days and weeks that followed the Glazer family placed Manchester United up for sale with a valuation of around £6bn, while Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) signalled their intentions to raise capital through selling a 15 per cent stake in the Ligue 1 club, one where a €4bn (£3.55bn) value was placed upon it.
While FSG are open to listening to offers for Liverpool the stance, according to well-placed sources in the US who the ECHO have spoken to, is that a full sale isn't the preferred option for FSG principal John W. Henry and that a "strategic partner" to help them find new avenues of growth is the direction that they would like to head. That said, if an individual, private equity fund or Middle Eastern consortium wanted to show their hand with a bid well in excess of $4bn (£3.3bn) then serious conversations would be had, with the investment search being led by FSG partner and Jurgen Klopp ally Mike Gordon, and facilitated by major US banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
