FSG made Liverpool their first investment in the world of football in a £300m deal in 2010, after which they have expanded their sports empire even further.
In addition to Liverpool and baseball giants the Boston Red Sox, FSG now own NHL side the Pittsburgh Penguins and a stake in the PGA Tour.
Liverpool owner John W. Henry and his wife Linda Puzzuti after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield...
Photo by James Baylis –
FSG supremo John Henry recently hinted in an interview that their resources were stretched and that they would not be making any more acquisitions in the near future.
However, just days after the 76-year-old made that statement, FSG announced that they were in the early stages of talks to acquire another football club, historic French side Bordeaux.
Now, there appears to have been yet another change of heart at FSG headquarters.
Bordeaux deal falls through, but FSG eyeing another European takeover
FSG had conducted due diligence to buy Bordeaux in a deal which would have involved taking over their debts and costs, potentially totalling £68m up front.
But it was widely reported earlier today that FSG had abandoned the discussions, although little detail was given about the specifics of the collapse.
However, GiveMeSport’s Ben Jacobs later posted on X that FSG were concerned with potential costs of Bordeaux’s stadium in future years, as well as the wider financial state of French football.
It is also claimed that FSG are now looking for another club, and one that they can go “all-in” with to make them a self-sufficient entity, rather than a subsidiary club of Liverpool.
TBR Analysis: Liverpool owners FSG are taking a different approach to Man City’s multi-club network
If the latest details are to be believed, FSG’s approach to multi-club ownership could look very different to Man City’s.
The City Football Group now encompasses 12 clubs, but there is no doubt that the four-times reigning Premier League champions are in the driving seat.
This has caused problems within the fanbases of some of City’s subsidiary clubs, with some supporters feeling the unique identities of their clubs have been lost.
Protests along these lines also prevented City Football Group from acquiring Dutch side NAC Breda last year.
Seemingly, FSG want to take a different route, one that treats Liverpool and whoever the next club might be as two horses in the same harness pulling in the same direction.
If it is a European club, there will still likely be the same issues around UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership we have seen at Man City and Man United in recent weeks.
However, fans of the next FSG-owned club will welcome the fact that it appears that they want to implement a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship.
The multi-club model is hugely popular at present, with a number of US financial institutions raising billions to launch their own football empires.
They cite benefits in terms of recruitment, knowledge sharing and commercial synergies as the reason for their investment.
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