Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, will closely monitor the latest Premier League takeover talks.
FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010, and their return on investment has already improved tenfold since then.
The Boston-based business, which sold a minority position to fellow US group Dynasty Equity for almost £100 million last year, is also partially controlled by Red Bird Capital, another sports investor.
Red Bird owns a large portfolio of sports and media interests. Despite some recent setbacks, they are extremely successful in their area.
One strategy they frequently take is to enlist the support of prominent non-business figures for their projects.
This is shown in their signing of famed retired striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who Red Bird hired to fill a newly established position at his former club AC Milan.
Significantly, Red Bird has also reached an agreement with NBA superstar LeBron James, who holds a minority share in Liverpool valued at roughly 2%.
And, with another Premier League club appearing to be on a similar road, Liverpool fans may be ready to get a big signal about the LA Lakers power forward’s future with the club.
West Ham acquisition talks provide insight into FSG’s Liverpool plans.
According to The Sun, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is in talks to buy a share in West Ham.
The retired player’s net wealth is insufficient to warrant a full takeover, therefore it would most likely be a minority deal to improve the club’s profile.
Similar partnerships have recently been struck at Leeds United and Birmingham City, where celebrity investors Will Ferrell and Tom Brady own a modest stake.
Liverpool were ahead of the game in this department, with LeBron joining as an investor in 2011.
Since then, the two sides have formed a lucrative business alliance, with the club releasing a line of LeBron-branded products.
West Ham’s decision to sign O’Neal is similar to LeBron’s job at Anfield, which is to produce commercial value and enhance the entire possible takeover price in the future.
Liverpool might smash the world record with a £3.6 billion agreement.
Analysis by industry professionals. Football Benchmark estimated Liverpool’s enterprise worth to be £3.6 billion.
And, while assessing a club’s valuation is not an exact science, any fee John Henry and FSG get in the case of a sale would surpass Chelsea’s current world record of £1.75 billion.
Based on these calculations, LeBron’s share in the club is currently estimated to be worth around £80 million.
That’s an impressive return given that he spent only £4.5 million for the stake over a decade ago.
It also represents FSG’s capital appreciation strategy, which entails investing in the club rather than withdrawing funds in the hopes of one day earning a massive takeover fee.
