Man City owner's cousin wanted to buy Liverpool
Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour's cousin had reportedly offered £2 billion to Fenway Group, in an effort to make them sell Premier giants Liverpool. However, the sports group declined the offer and the deal has fallen through. Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had held talks with the club over several months in late 2017 and early 2018. Here's more.
The history of Liverpool's ownership
As the owner of Anfield, John Houlding was the first chairman of Liverpool. The chairmanship changed hands several times before John Smith took over and oversaw the most successful period in club's history. The club was eventually sold to Americans, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, in 2007. When disagreements arose between the partners, they sold Liverpool to Fenway for £300 mn in 2010.
Comments from Liverpool regarding the offer
Liverpool said in a statement that, "FSG have been clear and consistent: the club is not for sale." It further added, "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 marketplaces and in-line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team."
Liverpool is a global brand
The club was, recently, declared by Forbes magazine as the eighth most valuable football team in the world after Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. The club's current estimated net worth is around $2 bn.
How have they been performing in recent years?
In 2015, Liverpool hired Jurgen Klopp as their manager and since then, they have been seeing a steady rise. Klopp brought in talented footballers to the club, who have been performing consistently under him. They finished fourth in the league last season. Notably, they were also Champions League finalists in 2017/18. They are surely one of the EPL title favorites this season.
The silverware Liverpool have won over the years
Liverpool have won an enviable 18 domestic leagues, along with seven FA Cups. Among English clubs, Liverpool have been the most successful in Europe, having won the European Cup and the Champions League a combined five times.
