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The Liverpool proprietors, Fenway Sports Group, show scant interest in parting with the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, they are amenable to offloading a passive minority share in the NHL outfit. It comes amid fresh talks over a takeover of another soccer club.
FSG took over the Penguins in 2021, valuing the ice hockey club at close to $900m. This marked their first foray into acquiring a top-tier sports team since they snapped up Liverpool back in October 2010, having initially entered the sports ownership arena with the Boston Red Sox, which remains under their stewardship.
At the year's outset, murmurs from across the pond suggested FSG were contemplating shedding a slice of the Penguins, and these whispers turned out to be on the money, as confirmed by the John W. Henry-led consortium.
An official communique released to the press earlier this year stated: "Fenway Sports Group is currently engaged in a process to explore a potential minority investment in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"The focus is on identifying a small, passive partner, and that is the current framework under discussion with potential investors."
Yet, chatter about a complete divestment persists, with Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, the erstwhile proprietors who handed the reins to FSG, reportedly eager to reclaim full control of the franchise. For such a scenario to pique FSG's interest, an offer substantially exceeding market value would likely be necessary, and even then, it would diverge from FSG's typical investment strategy.
The owners of Liverpool, who sold a minority stake in the club to New York-based private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023, are not known for offloading their sporting assets.
Their investment strategy primarily revolves around retaining ownership, managing well, and achieving success that increases the value of their teams.
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While there will inevitably be a point of sale for all their teams, it's not on the horizon for any of them just yet. The rumours of a Liverpool sale that circulated in late 2022 and early 2023 have long since faded, with FSG investing more in transfers than ever before during their tenure.
According to Forbes' late 2024 assessment, the Pittsburgh Penguins, which FSG purchased less than four years ago, is now valued at $1.75bn – an increase of $850m.
Liverpool, acquired for $400m in 2010, is now estimated to be worth around $5.6bn, as per the same publication's analysis.
A investor presentation sales deck from a prominent fund seeking investors for a Liverpool stake suggested that by 2030, the club's valuation could exceed $11bn, with projected annual revenues surpassing $1bn.
Over the next five years, revenues are expected to approach the £1bn mark, a milestone likely to be reached by only a few clubs in Europe. However, whether valuations continue to soar to such heights largely hinges on the future of broadcast rights.
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