Multi-billionaire Steve Ballmer is not interested in adding any further sports teams to his portfolio, according to reports in the US.
Ballmer, whose £66bn net worth derived from his stock options in Microsoft, where he served as CEO between 2000 and 2014, has been linked with a potential move to acquire Liverpool after it emerged that owners Fenway Sports Group were open to selling the club for the right price, although also welcoming minority investment.
Ballmer, 66, has been the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team since 2014 and told Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Farmer recently that he had no interest in owning any further teams.
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Addressing the Liverpool rumour on Twitter, Farmer said: "When I sat down with Ballmer recently and asked if he would be interested in buying any other sports franchises he said no.
"And it was a definitive no. He said he already spends enough time focused on the Clippers and now building a new arena for them. Said he's not interested in devoting time to another team."
Ballmer is one of a number of names to have been linked with a potential move for the Reds, with US firm Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani among those to be mentioned. The ECHO understands that the former has an interest in the Reds but have not made a final decision on their next move and no talks have been held, while well placed sources have stated that it would be an unlikely scenario for them to acquire Liverpool. Ambani's representatives at his Reliance Industries firm have said that he is not interested in a bid, according to reports in the Indian media.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, speaking to the Boston Globe at the Major League Baseball owners meeting in New York on Friday, seemed to apply the brakes somewhat to sale talk, stressing that there was no urgency on FSG's behalf and that they were assessing their options.
Werner said : "We’re exploring a sale, but there’s no urgency, no time frame for us, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s business as usual.
"One outcome could be our continued stewardship for quite a while."
The ECHO was told earlier this week by a well placed US source with knowledge of the situation that FSG remained in the early stages of exploring how best to proceed with their Liverpool investment and that they were 'testing the waters'. The source also stated that a number of options were on the table, with the potential for a minority investment to arrive that may turn in to a full takeover a little further down the line, a similar kind of move that may happen at Leeds United with their potential sale to the 49ers group next year.
Earlier this week, Sam Kennedy, an FSG partner who is also CEO of the Boston Red Sox, said there had been plenty of interest from external parties since it became known the Boston-based group were open to selling Liverpool FC.
"There has been a lot of interest from numerous potential partners considering investment into the club," said Kennedy. "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 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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