A potential new Liverpool investor has emerged after a billionaire NBA owner expressed his continued interest in purchasing a Premier League club following failed attempts to buy Chelsea.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Fenway Sports Group were seeking minority investors following the news back in November, with very little movement having taken place on that front since.
An FSG partner admitted only last week that the club needs “massive investment” in order to compete at the top, but there has been little news of developments in recent months.
Owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics, Steve Pagliuca, has revealed that he is “assessing opportunities” in the Premier League despite being beaten to the purchase of Chelsea by Todd Boehly last year.
Speaking on the Bloomberg Talks podcast, Pagliuca admitted that he is still exploring the possibility of buying a club from England’s top flight, but outlined some concerns about the direction that the sport is heading at the elite level.
“A league like the Premier League, if three or four teams are owned by a sovereign with basically unlimited investment, to be in the Champions League there is basically only one spot left for the other 16 teams that don’t have those kind of resources,” explained the 68-year-old.
“We’re assessing opportunities [in the Premier League]. I think there’s a higher bar there than there would have been in terms that you have to be sure you have an academy and a structure where you can keep up with the economic disparity.”
A finance expert claimed earlier this month that FSG are seeking between £400 million and £500 million for a minority stake worth 10 to 15 per cent.
Pagliuca ruled out a move for one of last season’s top four sides due to the lack of availability, with the takeover of Man United edging closer to completion, but he did hint that the teams below them could provide him with a route into English football.
“It’s almost impossible to make the Champions League unless you’re one of the high-funded sovereign teams. It makes it less attractive to buy a Premier League team and you bang your head against the wall,” he continued.
“A top-four club isn’t for sale so you can only look at the next 16 and the next 16 are going to have an advantage if they have that financial backing where they’re outspending them.”
