Liverpool takeover bid from Man City owner's cousin and £2billion rejection

Premier League ownership has been under the microscope in recent weeks.

Sanctions placed on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have accelerated calls for greater governance of those allowed to buy English football clubs. Gary Neville in particular has been passionate in his calls to protect historic clubs who remain huge assets to their communities with new regulations.

Fortunately for Liverpool fans, their ownership and governance has been strong and stable in recent years under the guidance of Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Their success, however, has only made them a more attractive proposition for potential buyers.

And the resolve of FSG was tested as they received a takeover proposal from the Middle East via the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour a few years ago.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that representatives for Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehaya, part of the ruling Abu Dhabi family, met Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group over a period of months in late 2017. It was said he proposed a huge £2billion takeover with a Chinese minority shareholder which would have made it the most expensive in football history.

The club released a statement and insisted the deal broke down before Sheikh Khaled and FSG's majority shareholders John W Henry or Michael Gordon met. They said: "FSG have been clear and consistent: the club is not for sale.

"But what the ownership has said, again clearly and consistently, is that under the right terms and conditions we would consider taking on a minority investor, if such a partnership was to further our commercial interests in specific market places and in line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team."

The previous October, Tom Werner also insisted there was "no truth" in Middle East reports that FSG had rejected a £1.5billion offer for the club from Amanda Staveley and her firm PCP Capital Partners before they turned their attentions to Newcastle.

In March 2021, however, FSG found the investment they had been looking for after a £538million influx from RedBird Capital. As part of the deal, NBA star LeBron James along with business partners Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter became part of FSG's ownership group along with RedBird.

In a statement, FSG declared: "Our strategic partnership with Gerry [Cardinale - founder and managing partner of RedBird], and the entire team will enhance our ability to pursue future growth opportunities in a more accelerated way but with the same selectiveness that has served us so well.

"We are also pleased to welcome to our ownership group LeBron, Maverick and Paul, with whom we have enjoyed a successful collaboration for well over a decade. Their addition is an important milestone for FSG and expands and deepens a long-time friendship and relationship that began in 2010.

"To our fans and supporters: Winning continues to be the driving force for all of us. The growth of FSG as an organisation allows us to further strengthen our resources and commitment to the communities we serve, and we look forward to having these talented new partners join us in the next chapter of FSG's evolution."

Whilst the owners of other clubs are now coming under the spotlight, Liverpool have seemingly been careful about where their investment comes from. FSG have not been immune from criticism, but it is hard to argue that their shrewd investment and decisions are making the club are stable and self-sufficient asset compared to some of their rivals.