15 February 2023 , 08:35
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Former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton has spoken to a consortium of billionaires about potential investment in the club - but says they are put off by the fact the club is not in London.
The former British Airways chairman had a brief stint in charge of the Reds and helped remove previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett as Fenway Sports Group (FSG) completed a takeover. However, FSG are now looking for investment in the Anfield club and have also explored a full or partial sale.
Broughton, who spearheaded a consortium looking to buy Chelsea before Todd Boehly's takeover last year, admits London is viewed as a more viable option for investors looking at Premier League clubs as he raised a potential stumbling block for Liverpool. But he has told the Liverpool Echo that he has discussed the idea of investment in Liverpool to the consortium of billionaires who were interested in Chelsea.
Revealing he did not speak to Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who both hold a stake in Crystal Palace, Broughton said: "But I did speak to the other people in our consortium and Chelsea I spoke to, in case there was an interest in becoming a co-investor, not to acquire, but to become a co-investor.
"But they are already foreign billionaires with a pad in Knightsbridge or Chelsea or Kensington and they came to London fairly regularly and when they came to London it was to watch Chelsea.
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"So they are all Chelsea fans and not in the 68-year way going down there to watch them in the way I am but that is their team and they enjoy going down there. They were attracted by the idea of investing in a football team and Chelsea specifically."
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He suggested that - whilst he has not mentioned Manchester United - the Red Devils would generate a similar response, with their properties in London meaning they would not hold an interest in either club. Broughton also revealed he "wasn't keen enough" to seek new investors for a second time but did offer his assistance if required.
And he insisted that having American-based owners is no barrier to Liverpool's success as he pointed to the impact FSG have had despite Tom Werner and John W Henry being unable to attend every game.
Broughton's consortium to try and buy Chelsea last year featured Lord Sebastian Coe, US sports investment firm Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment (HBSE), Indian entrepreneur Vivek Ranadive and Wall Street financier Michael Klein. HSBE co-founders Josh Harris and David Blitzer each hold an 18% stake in Crystal Palace so were not involved in recent talks with Broughton.
Joshua Harris and David Blitzer of HSBE are both investors in Crystal PalaceSpeaking at the Sportico Invest in Sports conference in New York in October, Blitzer admitted Chelsea was "one of a handful of clubs on a global basis" that they would be "comfortable" bidding for. They have been linked with both Liverpool and Manchester United but it is reported any interest would involve a minority stake.
However, they have a relationship with a private equity firm that has been a partner of Liverpool owners FSG since 2021, Arctos Sports Partners, and are reported to retain an interest in investment opportunities. The Echo report that FSG are keen to bring a partner on board who could turn their interest into a full takeover over time.
HBSE are understood to retain an interest in investment opportunities with both Liverpool and Manchester United, and they also have a relationship with institutional investors Arctos Sports Partners, a private equity firm that has stakes in multiple US sports teams as well as being a partner of Liverpool owners FSG since 2021.
The ECHO has been informed by sources close to the FSG sale process in the US that the Reds owners would like to bring on board a partner that could potentially accrete their interest into a full shareholding over time.