The father of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, claims his son would be interested in buying Liverpool FC.
Fenway Sports Group, which added the Reds to their sporting portfolio in 2010, has looked for external investment in the past but at no point has a full sale been seriously considered. Nevertheless, Errol Musk was asked whether his son had his eye on Anfield.
“I can’t comment on that. They’ll raise the price,” he told Times Radio. When pressed on whether his son would want to buy Liverpool, Musk added: “Oh, yes. But that doesn’t mean he’s buying it. He would like to yes, obviously. Anybody would want to – so would I.”
Last May Forbes rated Liverpool the fourth most valuable football club, with an estimated value of £4.3bn. However, that amounts to just over 1 per cent of Musk’s total net worth, which is believed to be around £343bn.
Musk snr said the interest was partly as there was a family connection to the city. “His grandmother was born in Liverpool, and we have relatives in Liverpool, and we were fortunate to know quite a lot of The Beatles because they grew up with some of my family,” he added. “So, we are attached to Liverpool, you know.”
FSG have regularly come in for criticism from a certain section of the fanbase for their lack of investment in the squad. Last year the club posted a pre-tax loss of £9 million, after which managing director Andy Hughes said: “Operating this great club in a financially sustainable manner and in accordance with football’s governing principles has been our priority since FSG acquired LFC in 2010.”
Last season’s financial results are due next month and a year without Champions League football is likely to mean another squeeze on finances. In February 2023 principal owner John W Henry moved to quash speculation about a sale, saying: “Will we be in England forever? No. Are we selling LFC? Have we sold anything in the past 20+ years?” Later that year FSG sold a minority stake to US investment firm Dynasty Equity, at which time president Mike Gordon said FSG’s long-term commitment to Liverpool “remains as strong as ever”.
The club are currently in a contract impasse with three of their key players, with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold – their three highest earners – all having deals which expire in the summer. - Guardian
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