Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have turned down the advances of a number of potential buyers for Liverpool in the recent past — the latest being a billionaire Chinese art collector — reiterating their intention to continue their Anfield project.
Chinese art collector Liu Yiqian is reportedly the latest addition to a long list of interested buyers for Liverpool to aid the Reds in their new era under Jurgen Klopp. The Times claim that the business magnate, who is reportedly valued at £2.5 billion and is ranked 47th in a list of China’s richest men, had his takeover bid rebuffed by FSG.
The Merseysiders have been the subject of interest from the Dubai Royal Family and government-backed Chinese group Sino Fortone in recent months, both of whom have reportedly put forward gargantuan take-over bids in the region of £700 million.
However, the Reds’ US based owners have expressed no desire to sell their majority stakes at the club and principal owner John W.Henry appears committed to bringing the glory days back to Liverpool.
FSG want investment, not takeover
Having handed Jurgen Klopp a new contract and autonomy to operate in the transfer market, FSG now have the time to take care of business-related matters at Liverpool. The owners have pumped in huge sums of money on new players employing their moneyball methods and also in the execution of their plans to revamp Anfield since their arrival in 2010.
Phase 1 of the Anfield redevelopment, which involves improving the capacity of the main stand, is already underway and looks set to be completed in September this year before Liverpool host Leicester City in their first home game of the new Premier League season.
With more ambitious plans lined up, FSG are on the lookout for third-party investments that could aid them in their pursuit of glory with Liverpool. The planned implementation of Phase 2 of the stadium renovation could, to some extent, be determined by external investment. There are also plans to expand the club’s Melwood training centre to accommodate the club’s academy players as well as the first team.
Chinese interest in European football
Be it players that are being lured to China in audaciously lucrative deals or the investment into European football from the various billionaires belonging to the world’s most populous nation, there has been a growing Chinese influence in European football in recent years.
The footballing circuit in the country received a massive boost last year when Li Ruigang’s China Media Capital paid a staggering $1.3 billion for media rights to broadcast the Chinese Super League. This investment into the league enabled Chinese clubs to sign high-profile players from Europe — including the likes of Ramires, Jackson Martinez and mostly recently, Hulk.
Inter Milan have already been taken over by Chinese investors, with the Suning group assuming control of the club, while an undisclosed group are talking with Silvio Berlusconi in a take-over of their cross-town rivals A.C Milan. The Premier League has seen its share of clubs owned by Asian businessmen, but it is yet to witness a Chinese entrant onto the scene. However, the interest in Liverpool indicates that that could change very soon.
