Donald Trump could help Liverpool owners FSG secure Saudi Arabia deal after $3bn investment

Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) latest investment could be helped - by Donald Trump becoming US President.

Trump was re-elected to the White House winning the election earlier this week when defeating Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Trump, of the Republic party, will return for a second term of presidency after serving in office between 2017 and 2021.

And according to Rory McIlroy, Trump’s return could finally see the end of golf’s civil war. The sport has been in a state of unrest since LIV - funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund - broke away from the PGA Tour. Major winners including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and John Rahm have all made the switch. Negotiations over a merger deal between the PGA, LIV and the DP World Tour have been ongoing since June 2023 but they have so far failed to bear fruit.

Earlier this year, FSG spearheaded a consortium named Strategic Sports Group to invest $1.5 billion - which could rise to $3 billion - into PGA Tour Enterprises, a company under the PGA Tour’s control. Subsequently, FSG principal owner John Henry, along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monaghan, has held talks with the Saudi PIF’s governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. But while a framework agreement was brokered more than a year ago, a deal has still to be concluded.

But with Trump having close ties to the Saudis, amid suggestions the US Department of Justice is paying close attention to the Middle Eastern country’s move into mainstream sport, McIlroy hopes a resolution can be finalised.

The four-time major champion said ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: “Given today’s news with what has happened in America, I think that clears the way a little bit. So we’ll see. “He might be able to,” said McIlroy. “He’s got Elon who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.

“I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows? But I think as the president of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”

FSG have owned Liverpool since 2010. They are also in charge of iconic MLB team the Boston Red Sox and NHL outfit the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last year, the Boston-based firm purchased a franchise in the newly-formed Technology Golf League co-founded by McIlroy and Tiger Woods and is due to begin next year.