Two Middle East-based consortiums are reportedly interested in Liverpool FC after the Premier League club’s owner announced earlier this month it would “consider new shareholders.” 

Fenway Sports Group, which purchased the team for around $343.56 million in 2010, has reportedly held discussions with consortiums from Saudi Arabia and Qatar about a $3.6 billion takeover. 

Forbes last valued the club at $4.45 billion — the fourth-most valuable in soccer. 

• Saudi Arabia’s sports prime minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the government “will definitely support” private-sector Liverpool bids.
• Prince Abdulaziz would also back a bid for Manchester United, whose owners recently announced plans to look at “strategic alternatives” for the club.

Under FSG — which is also reportedly in discussions with a U.S.-based buyer — Liverpool has won the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.

Mumbai Indians owner Mukesh Ambani and Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca are among those potentially interested.

Prime Portfolio

Should Fenway Sports Group sell Liverpool, its sports portfolio will remain strong. 

The company owns the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Red Sox and is reportedly interested in an NBA franchise. FSG owner John Henry is also a possible contender to buy the Washington Commanders.

A stake in one of the biggest soccer ownership groups in the world has moved from China to California.

Silicon Valley private equity firm Silver Lake has bought much of China Media Capital’s stake in City Football Group. CFG owns Manchester City, New York City Football Club, Melbourne City Football Club, and at least seven other teams around the world.

• Silver Lake now owns more than 18% of CFG.
• The firm, which has $92 billion in assets under management, bought a 10% stake in CFG in 2019 for $500 million, then shares from CMC over the next two years, growing its stake to 14.5%. 
• CFG majority shareholder Newton Investment and Development, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, also increased its stake. 

Silver Lake’s diverse portfolio includes stakes in Endeavor, LEARFIELD, Oak View Group, Madison Square Garden Sports, and Equinox.

Silver Lake’s Big Splash

Silver Lake has become one of the most aggressive private equity investors in sports properties. 

It completed a lengthy process in February to purchase an 8.6% stake in New Zealand’s prized All Blacks rugby team for $133.6 million. 

In December 2021 it secured a 33.3% stake in the Australian Professional Leagues for around $100 million, and  made a reported $50 million investment in Cris Collinsworth’s analytics firm Pro Football Focus the previous September.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has received a majority stake offer for the Hundred, a cricket competition that began last year.

Buyout firm Bridgepoint Group has made a $484.2 million bid for a 75% stake in the competition, according to Sky Sports, but the offer isn’t expected to succeed. 

“Rights holders have never seen a rise like the one they have [recently], and the Hundred will undoubtedly get more and more interest,” ECB chair Richard Thompson recently said, adding, “The worst thing would be to do something too early, then see the value go through the roof, and you’ve lost out and someone else benefits.” 

“It’s just two years old, we can’t get greedy, we have to see it play out.”

• The Hundred’s second season drew more than 500,000 attendees.
• More than 14 million people watched some of the tournament on Sky Sports and the BBC.
• The ECB’s current deal with Sky Sports ends in 2024 and is worth $260 million annually. 

The Hundred is locked in for at least four more years after Sky Sports extended its rights deal in July with the ECB until 2028.

Bridgepoint’s Business

Bridgepoint Group owns Dorna Sports — MotoGP’s commercial rights holder — and was reportedly interested in a Women’s Super League minority stake. Bridgepoint also reportedly showed interest in investing in the media rights businesses for Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.