Owners FSG have denied a report that they have turned down a £1.5billion offer for Liverpool FC from a consortium in the Middle East.
A report on Thursday night from a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates claimed that FSG turned down the offer, initially £1.2billion potentially rising to £1.5billion, from an investment consortium led by Dubai financier Amanda Staveley.
The report claimed that FSG did so because they believe “they could realise a better price in the future,” citing potential moves from digital companies such as Facebook and Amazon in the next round of TV rights.
Staveley, who was involved in the discussions with Dubai Investment Capital in 2008 when Liverpool were owned by Tom Hicks and George Gillett, is said to be now heading a consortium bidding to purchase Newcastle United.
Shortly after the report emerged, Reds’ chairman Thomas Werner rebuffed the claims, telling the Liverpool Echo that there’s no truth to the claims and that ““We have better things to do than batting down rumours about negotiations with Ms Staveley.”
FSG purchased Liverpool for £300m in October 2010 and insist they remain committed to the Merseyside club. They have, though, previously indicated they are open to potential minority investment into the club.
Some critics of FSG have complained about a disappointing ‘net spend’ in the transfer market, but such claims can be countered by the words of manager Jurgen Klopp who insisted he could not find centre-backs better than his current players in the summer.
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