Liverpool takeover latest news as ‘ridiculous’ Qatar bid claim made amid FSG sale decision

Liverpool will not have received a bid from any Qatar-based investment fund - as there has yet to be a period of due diligence over a possible sale.

That is the verdict of CBS Sports reports Ben Jacobs as it approaches three months since Fenway Sports Group (FSG) put the Reds on the market.

FSG have owned Liverpool since 2010 and are said to be leaning towards a partial rather than a complete sale of the club.

A host of parties have been linked with buying into the Anfield outfit. Of late, there has been much talk over possible investment coming from Qatar.

Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) own Paris Saint-Germain and are reportedly keen to purchase a stake in a Premier League club.

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), meanwhile, is the sovereign wealth fund of the Gulf state. Chief executive Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud has admitted that it is exploring moving into sport.

Jacobs, speaking on a Twitter Space he hosted, kiboshed QSI investing in Liverpool - along with rumours swirling that QIA have lodged a bid.

Jacobs said: “The FSG perspective is that they're fully committed to the club and are now leaning towards minority investment. Perhaps at the beginning of the process, they were going to explore a sale because they saw that Chelsea price and wondered if it was the right time to leave.

“The volume of interest and quality they can work with in a productive way is now suggesting to them, albeit in the early stages, that minority investment might be a little better. Takeovers take months and not weeks. It's not like transfers where you come in and make a bid.

“Qatar is this red-hot topic at the moment. The interest is, at worst, rumour and, at best, exploratory. The two organisations linked are QSI and QIA. QSI are the owners of PSG and have not held any talks with Liverpool.

“QIA are the ones that have come out and said they may be interested in investing in sport and are open at this stage. There is always confusion about each, they are not affiliated.

“In addition to that, on the board of QIA sits Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is the chairman of QSI. Let's not forget, he's the chairman of PSG as well.

“If any organisation moves in Qatar, they'll first seek the blessing of the sports investment arm even if they're not affiliated. And if it is QIA that were moving, they're going to make their board member Nasser Al-Khelaifi not on behalf of QSI but because he's the expert and knows how to get business done. The politics of business works differently and there are interlinking.

“When people say there has been a bid from Qatar, it's even more ridiculous because there has been no due diligence yet and, therefore, you cannot make a bid because it's not like a transfer. You don't call up and say: 'Hello FSG, here's £4 billion, do you accept?'

“You need to know what you're dealing with due diligence to put a value on the football club and then you can bid.”