Shock Saudi Arabia decision will have MAJOR impact on PIF Liverpool bid

Liverpool have had plenty of success under current owners Fenway Sports Group but this hasn’t stopped rumours of a potential Saudi takeover from swirling.

Earlier in October it was reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) were keen on continuing their expansion into football, potentially with the acquisition of a top Premier League team.

The PIF currently own Newcastle United, but a recent report from The Independent claims they could be looking to invest in a ‘bigger’ club, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona mentioned.

Now it is being reported that the PIF are looking to cut back on international investments, focussing instead on domestic projects and the domestic economy.

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Why have the PIF changed their approach?

According to a report by the Financial Times, the PIF intends to reduce its overseas investments by a third and focus more on investments within Saudi Arabia.

In recent years the PIF has invested massively in sports, including the revamping of the Saudi Pro League, which has been able to attract the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and ex-Liverpool forwards Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.  

The fund has also made investments outside of football, with projects such as LIV Golf, the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition tournament, and Riyadh Season which has funded multiple top-level boxing, MMA and pro-wrestling events.

The Financial Times report does not put a timeframe on the PIF’s new target for international investment.

What could this mean for Liverpool?

Although the FT report didn’t specifically rule out any further expansion into the world of football, the acquisition of Liverpool Football Club would represent a huge outlay for the PIF, with the club valued at $5.37 billion by Forbes.

FSG were supposedly open to a potential sale of the club in 2023 but they ended up settling for an investment from Dynasty Equity and ended their search for new investment, according to The Guardian.

As FSG aren’t actively looking to sell, any offer would likely have to exceed Forbes’ valuation of the club and, if the PIF are looking to scale down their international investment, a bid for LFC looks unlikely.

The PIF’s ownership of Newcastle also throws another spanner in the works as Premier League rules forbid one owner from owning multiple clubs.

This means that the PIF would have to find a buyer for Newcastle before they could bid for Liverpool.

This development may be a disappointment for some Liverpool fans but FSG have delivered success at Anfield before and the Reds have started the season excellently under new head coach Arne Slot, so the future is still looking bright on Merseyside.

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