Principal Liverpool owner John Henry has now claimed that the club is now not for sale. It was revealed back in November that the American was exploring a possible sale of the Merseyside team. Henry even hired powerhouse financial groups Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to supposedly work on a sales presentation.
Nevertheless, it seems as if a full sale of the club is now off of the table. Henry spoke via email with Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam about the possible sale. The American businessman claimed that the club is not for sale and that they hired the two aforementioned banks to get a feel of possible investors.
Henry denies Liverpool is fully for sale
“Yes. I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about LFC, but I keep to the facts: we merely formalized an ongoing process,” Henry stated in the email exchange. “Will we be in England forever? No. Are we selling LFC? No. Are we talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale. Have we sold anything in the past 20+ years?”
Henry’s Fenway Sports Group previously paid around $470 million for Liverpool and their stadium Anfield in October of 2010. The ownership group is currently undergoing renovation of Anfield at the moment.
Set to be completed by the summer, the nearly $97 million expansion of the stadium will increase capacity up to 61,000. Anfield currently holds around 53,000 fans. The move will make Liverpool’s stadium the fourth-largest stadium in the Premier League.
Minority investment is clearly a possibility
Although Henry stated that his club is not for sale, he did admit to potential investments. Still, these possible investors could take on a minority stake in Liverpool. This would help raise funds, while also keeping Fenway Sports Group as the majority decision maker at the team. Liverpool are expected to undergo significant changes to freshen up the squad this summer.
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