Liverpool takeover bid from Man City owner Sheikh Mansour's cousin and £2bn rejection

Premier League ownership has been under the microscope in recent weeks.

Sanctions placed on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich have accelerated calls for greater governance of those allowed to buy English football clubs. Gary Neville in particular has been passionate in his calls to protect historic clubs who remain huge assets to their communities with new regulations.

Fortunately for Liverpool fans, their ownership and governance has been strong and stable in recent years under the guidance of Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Their success, however, has only made them a more attractive proposition for potential buyers.

And the resolve of FSG was tested as they received a takeover proposal from the Middle East via the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour a few years ago.

The Daily Mail reported at the time that representatives for Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehaya, part of the ruling Abu Dhabi family, met Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group over a period of months in late 2017. It was said he proposed a huge £2billion takeover with a Chinese minority shareholder which would have made it the most expensive in football history.

The club released a statement and insisted the deal broke down before Sheikh Khaled and FSG's majority shareholders John W Henry or Michael Gordon met. They said: ”FSG have been clear and consistent: the club is not for sale.

"But what the ownership has said, again clearly and consistently, is that under the right terms and conditions we would consider taking on a minority investor, if such a partnership was to further our commercial interests in specific market places and in line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team.”

The previous October, Tom Werner also