Owners of Liverpool Football Club, Fenway Sports Group, are looking at teams in Band 2 leagues with a view to adding a new club to their portfolio.
The FA’s Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) system lists the Portuguese Primeira Liga, Eredivisie, Belgian First Division A, and the Turkish Super Lig as Band 2 competitions and acquiring a club from this group of leagues would help the Reds with acquiring new talent and help some of their youngsters develop further.
FSG have previously been linked with takeovers of two historic Brazilian sides, Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro; however, Cruzeiro have since been bought out by other investors while the media in Brazil claim that Atletico are also looking elsewhere, states Football Insider.
Why are Liverpool’s owners looking at buying a new club?
A multi-club network is something that Premier League clubs are now looking into with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea said to be interested in the idea, reports the Guardian.
Manchester City already have their portfolio built up and it makes acquiring players easier for clubs following Brexit.
Post-Brexit rules currently allow overseas players to join an English club if they have a sufficient number of caps for national teams that feature high in the FIFA World Rankings.
All other players must meet a 15-point threshold based on their domestic career in order to qualify.
Players in Band 2 leagues, which is where Premier League clubs will be looking to buy from, automatically get 10 points plus another five if they play 40-49 per cent of their club’s minutes across the season.
This is something that could set off quickly amongst England’s biggest clubs but will Liverpool be the first to follow City?