Fenway Sports Group is in the early stages of exploring a sale for Liverpool FC, people familiar with the matter said, making the English Premier League side the latest prestige sports asset to come on the market.
Boston-based FSG is being advised by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley after it was approached by at least one potential buyer, according to two of the people.
In a statement, FSG said it frequently received 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.”
News of the potential sale was earlier reported by The Athletic.
FSG’s decision to explore a Liverpool sale comes months after Chelsea FC was sold by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to a consortium led by US financier Todd Boehly for £2.5bn.
During the sale process Chelsea received more than 200 bids, highlighting the strong appetite for Premier League teams. In addition to Boehly, Chelsea received serious bids from private equity tycoon Josh Harris and another from British industrialist Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Since FSG acquired the club in 2010, Liverpool have won both a Champions League and Premier League trophy and is valued by Forbes at $4.45bn. FSG is the parent company for Liverpool, baseball’s Boston Red Sox and hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the more prolific dealmaking sports empires in the US. It is controlled by John Henry, a self-made billionaire in commodities trading, who has been a reticent public figure.