Saudi Arabia drop Liverpool takeover bombshell, Man City should be worried

Saudi Arabia has dropped a Liverpool takeover bombshell that is likely to worry Manchester City fans.

Earlier this month Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group announced they were “open to investment” although remained “fully committed” to the club. Goldmann Sachs and Morgan Stanley were also instructed to gauge interest around a sale.

There has since been much speculation over who might take over the Reds - American venture capitalists have been linked, as have oil-rich states.

Indeed, Saudi Arabia’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has now claimed he would like his nation’s investors to own Liverpool, as well as their fierce Premier League rival Manchester United.

Saudi Arabia interested in Liverpool and Man Utd

When Sky Sports asked Prince Abdulaziz whether he would like to see Man Utd or Liverpool taken over by Saudi groups, he replied: “I hope so, if there are investors and the numbers add up, and it makes a good business.

“Then the private sector could come in, or companies could come in, from the kingdom. The Premier League is the best league in the world. Everyone's watching the Premier League.

“It's the most watched league and there are diehard fans of these teams in the kingdom. So it would be a benefit for everyone.

“I can say that we have a strong league. It's not one of the strongest in Asia. You know, we're building towards a better future. And we see how the future holds up for that."

The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund acquired Newcastle United last year from Mike Ashley, making the Magpies the richest club in the world. Indeed, PIF is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of $620 billion (£492 billion).

If Saudi Arabia were to buy Liverpool or Man Utd, either club would likely trump Man City's finances by a distance.

Man City is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, whose estimated individual net worth is thought to be at least £17billion.