'What I've heard' - Pundit relays major update on Liverpool takeover

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are looking for new investors, rather than trying to sell the club entirely, according to pundit Richard Keys.

Earlier this month The Athletic reported that FSG had put Liverpool up for sale and that a full sales presentation had been prepared for prospective buyers.

FSG responded by claiming they “would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club” but remained “fully committed to the success” of the Reds.

This led to confusion among the Liverpool fanbase regarding whether the club had been put up for sale or whether the ownership was merely looking for further investment.

Meanwhile, speculation has arisen over who the next owners of Liverpool would be amid claims of interest from buyers in the Middle East, United States and India.

Are FSG wanting to sell outright?

Veteran broadcaster Keys believes that Liverpool have not been put up for sale and that FSG is merely looking for more investment.

Speaking on the Keys & Gray podcast, Keys said: “My reading of what I have heard is that FSG has not put Liverpool up for sale. Not.

“Liverpool’s owners have been looking for investment, which is an entirely different thing.

“That is my reading of it. I don’t think FSG are bailing at all.

“But I do believe they are looking around, which explains why [Jurgen] Klopp said what he said recently about competing with clubs owned by nation states, that it’s impossible for them to do so.

“Everybody has written they are for sale, I don’t think they are.”

Keys is not the first person to suggest that Liverpool is unlikely to be sold entirely. Goal reporter Neil Jones has also previously reported that a third-party investment was the more likely option of the two.

Want to sell outright?

Keys and Jones' take on the situation runs counter to what CBS journalist Ben Jacobs claimed earlier this week.

The reputed reporter stressed that FSG would “prefer a full sale over minority investment”.

“My understanding is that FSG would prefer a full sale over minority investment despite hearing offers of all kinds," he said.

“And the expectation, from those familiar with the process, is that a sale may happen sooner rather than later.

“Important to note, 'sooner' in a sale context still takes a fair amount of time, especially with no interested party in exclusive talks or having undertaken due diligence.

“But sources do stress wheels are very much in motion with Mike Gordon now focused on finding options.

“Jurgen Klopp has been given guarantees, regardless of timescale, that the next two transfer windows won't be affected by the process. It's business as usual on the recruitment and planning side.”

Topics: Football, Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.