Reports emerged from The Athletic on Monday that a sales presentation package had been set up for potential new owners with the help of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
The news that one of the most iconic names in football might be up for sale could spark a titanic tussle between some of the wealthiest individuals and companies on the planet looking to buy Liverpool and become the new owners.
But who exactly could end up with the keys to Anfield? We take a look at the possible runners and riders who have been linked with buying Liverpool and other Premier League clubs in the past.
RedBird
RedBird Capital Partners are one of the obvious candidates to buy Liverpool having purchased a 10% stake in the club for around £540 million last year.
RedBird are based in New York and claim to have more than £6 billion in assets.
Red Bull bought AC Milan for £1 billion in August this year and their portfolio also includes French club Toulouse, IPL team Rajasthan Royals, ice hockey side Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
Founder Gerry Cardinale did not rule out acquiring full ownership of Liverpool when he bought his stake in the club last year, saying: ‘I definitely would not exclude it as it would be a privilege but I think that Liverpool is in fantastic hands with the current group.
‘We are there to support and play a supporting role where we can but that is a phenomenal team from ownership and management all the way down.’
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe is the CEO of the Ineos Group Ltd, the chemicals company he founded in 1998 and of which he still owns two-thirds.
The 70 year-old Manchester United fan also owns Britain’s America’s Cup sailing team and Ineos has a partnership with the Mercedes Formula One team.
According to Bloomberg’s billionaire index, Ratcliffe has a net worth of around £8.7 billion which makes him Britain’s richest man and the 55th wealthiest in the world.
Ratcliffe, who resides in Monaco but is originally from Oldham, first showed an interest in buying Chelsea in 2019 but decided against meeting then-owner Roman Abramovich’s £2.5 billion demand.
Ratcliffe made a second attempt to purchase the Blues when it came up for sale earlier this year, but was pipped to it by American Todd Boehly.
He also expressed his desire to buy Manchester United from the Glazer family in August.
Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan
Sheikh Khaled is the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour and allegedly failed with a £2 billion offer to buy Liverpool in 2017 and 2018.
The 40 year-old is the son of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of United Arab Emirates, and a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling Al Nahyan family.
Although he does not have the same wealth as his cousin, Sheikh Khaled is still one of the most successful businessmen in the UAE.
It was reported at the time that Midhat Kidwai, the managing director of Sheik Khaled’s conglomerate of companies, had a meeting in New York with the club’s chairman Tom Werner.
Had the deal gone through, it would have been the most expensive club takeover in the history of football at the time.
Sir Martin Broughton
Broughton is the former chairman of British Airways and was chairman of Liverpool in 2010.
The British tycoon is the deputy chairman of International Airlines Group, Managing Partner at Sports Investment Partners and chairman of the sports virtual advertising company Supponor.
Broughton played an instrumental role in setting up FSG’s £300 million purchase of Liverpool by FSG in October 2010.
The Chelsea fan made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Blues when the club was put up for sale on the market in March 2022.
The 75 year-old put together a consortium including Creative Artists Agency and Evolution Media Capital, with support from former Olympic gold medalist and Conservative MP Lord Sebastian Coe.
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