Spirit of Shankly have revealed Liverpool would be willing to holds talks with supporters should investment plans reach a formal stage
American businessman Jeff Bezos
American businessman Jeff Bezos(Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
View Image
Liverpool supporters union Spirit of Shankly have questioned Fenway Sports Group over the proposed investment in the Reds from a consortium that includes Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.
Discussions remain ongoing with the group, which is being led by former Queens Park Rangers director Amit Bhatia, over a possible 30% stake in Liverpool FC that could be worth as much as £1.4billion.
Bezos would participate as an investor alongside Eduardo Saverin, one of the co-founders of Facebook. Bezos is listed by American finance publication Forbes as the third richest man in the world, with an estimated worth of £207bn, while Saverin is said to be worth £24bn.
Spirit of Shankly contacted Liverpool last month when reports first emerged of the interest from the consortium, asking for clarity over a number of issues.
And while the club have yet to respond to their queries, they have made a commitment to meet with the Supporters Board should discussions with the consortium become more formalised.
The statement said: "Following initial reports of a potential sale of a stake in LFC, Spirit of Shankly wrote to the club at the end of July seeking further information and greater clarity of what it would mean should a sale go ahead.
"We asked: when is the ownership expecting to conclude a potential sale? What will the purchasers get in return – board seats, level of involvement in the control of the club on and off the pitch, dividends or other financial returns?
"Is this part of a planned wider sale, or a one-off? What is the reasoning for FSG considering such a sale?
"What due diligence is being done on the potential investors/owners? This is about their plans, reasons for purchase and involvement in sports or business elsewhere.
"We also asked for a meeting and reiterated that, given the events that led to FSG’s purchase of the club, who owns it and how they control it – putting the interests of LFC and its supporters first – is fundamental to us all."
The statement continued: "The latest report of a 30% sale and the consortium set up to buy it is significant. The ownership and custodianship of our club is paramount to SOS and all supporters.
"We have witnessed similar sales at other clubs resulting in notable changes in the running of that club and football operations, leading to decisions and behaviours that many would not want to see at Liverpool.
"The club responded by saying that if anything became more formalised, they would be willing to meet with the Supporters Board. As yet, we have no further information but will keep members informed."
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page