Liverpool in talks with Saudi and Qatari consortiums after Mukesh Ambani takeover rumour: Reports

If the chatter coming from the UK media is to be believed, Premier League giants Liverpool FC and its ownership have held talks with two consortiums based in West Asia.

Both consortiums are believed to have a close working relationship with the respective Saudi and Qatari royal families.

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Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is the current owner of the Merseyside club and they have valued the club at around $4 billion. Banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been roped in to handle the club's takeover process in case their demands are met.

According to the reports, FSGdirector Mike Gordon has been approached by the consortiums regarding the sale.

Kingdom gives the green light

Saudi Arabia’s sports ministerPrince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal has already given the green light from the government, saying the kingdom will support the bids for the takeover.

“If there’s an investor willing to do so and the numbers add up, why not? We will definitely support it if any [Saudi] private sector comes in because we know that’s going to reflect positively on sports within the kingdom," saidTurki Al Faisal

“From the private sector, I can’t speak on their behalf, but there is a lot of interest and appetite and there’s a lot of passion about football," he added.

FSG put the club for sale

Earlier this month, FSG put the club up for sale, 12 years after completing the takeover fromTom Hicks and George Gillett.

"FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool. FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club," read a statement released by FSG at the time.

Read more: Premier League club Liverpool put up for sale by Fenway Sports Group

After the news of the takeover gained pace, several big names started doing the rounds. However, it was the supposed interest of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani that gained the maximum traction.

Liverpool fans for long have been demanding that FSG sell the club as their 'buy-to-sell' policy has proved to be a bottleneck in Klopp's plans of refreshing the squad.

Read more:Mukesh Ambani enters race to buy Premier League giants Liverpool - Report

While a faction of the fans is alright with the club being sold to state-based oil owners, another faction is adamant that selling Liverpool to state-sponsored authorities goes against the ethos of the club.

(With inputs from agencies)

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