Liverpool owners FSG agree £656m new club takeover

Liverpool owners FSG are waiting for approval from the NHL to complete an acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

According to the Boston Globe, Fenway Sports Group have signed the purchase agreement worth around $875m (£656m) to take control of the ice hockey side, giving them another franchise to add to Liverpool FC and Boston Red Sox. The two teams have a combined value of around £5.4bn.

On top of this, FSG also have NASCAR team RFK Racing, as well as Fenway Sports Group Real Estate, Fenway Sports Management and the NESN regional TV network which they manage, too. 

It is believed that the group are also looking for an NBA basketball team to purchase.

FSG have divided opinion during their ownership of the Reds, with a series of unpopular decisions and u-turns along the way.

In 2016, the club tried to raise ticket prices to the disgruntlement of fans who boycotted a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. This protest appeared to work, with prices being frozen.

During the pandemic, it was announced that Liverpool Football Club would furlough staff. This was met with widespread disdain from fans and former players, including Jamie Carragher and Stan Collymore. Again, the club reneged on the idea.

Perhaps most controversially, Liverpool were one of six English clubs associated with the failed Super League coup of last year. The Reds were the first of the English clubs to play in the Premier League after the announcement, with James Milner and Jurgen Klopp both publically speaking against the project. Owner John W. Henry released a video apology following the proposal's collapse.

How the new NHL takeover affects Liverpool is yet to be seen - but fans will be worried for the future, following a series of missteps from FSG over a number of years.