Liverpool owners 'exploring' huge new deal but could face €100m battle | OneFootball

FSG hoping to establish a multi-club network that could hugely benefit the Reds

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) search for a second European football club to develop a potential multi-club model has led to interest in a deal for Spanish side Malaga, new reports claim.

FSG - along with Arsenal - have long been reported to be keen on becoming the latest Premier League owners to establish a multi-club network, joining the likes of Manchester City owners the City Football Group (CFG) and Chelsea owners BlueCo.

They previously held talks over a possible takeover of Bordeaux before negotiations collapsed last summer and the French club eventually filed for bankruptcy and suffered a double relegation to the fourth tier.

According to The Athletic, FSG are now exploring a deal to possibly initially purchase Qatari businessman Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani’s 51 per cent stake in Malaga after a trip made back in February, having previously visited the likes of Levante, Elche, Espanyol, Getafe and Real Valladolid in Spain.

Potential: Malaga previously reached the Champions League quarter-finals but have endured a turbulent few years

Getty Images

However, they will likely face stern competition from Qatar Sport Investment (QSI), with the owners of French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) having recently confirmed their own interest in buying Malaga.

ESPN reported on Thursday that QSI - who also have a stake in Portuguese top-flight club Braga - were finalising the potential €100million purchase of the club amid long-running talks with Al Thani and the Bluejay Group, the latter of whom own 49 per cent.

Malaga finished fourth in LaLiga in 2011/12 and sixth the next season, also reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League under Manuel Pellegrini.

However, they have endured a turbulent few years at La Rosaleda and been in administration since 2019. They were relegated from LaLiga in 2022/23 and then quickly slipped down into the third division for the first time since 1998.

They were promoted back to Spain’s Segunda Division last season and currently sit 15th under Sergio Pellicer, seven points above the relegation zone with 10 matches remaining this season.