In an interview on Britain’s Times Radio, Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk said his son is interested in buying Liverpool Football Club, the Premier League giant where Colombian star Luis Diaz is a key player. During the interview, Musk senior said that Elon would want to buy the club, and that he does too.
According to Errol Musk, their family has a special relationship with the city of Liverpool because Elon’s grandmother Cora Amelia Robinson, was born in the city, and lived there before moving to South Africa.
Despite the interest announced by Musk senior, he was initially reluctant to speak about Elon’s interest in the club, fearing that Liverpool’s current owners, Fenway Sports Group, would raise their asking price for the club if they knew Elon was interested in purchasing it.
Elon Musk’s purchase of Liverpool would cost US$10 billion
Fenway Sports Group said that it would ask for US$10 billion for the Merseyside club. This staggering price would be the highest paid for an English football club.
Despite the tech magnate’s interest in purchasing “The Reds”, it is widely believed that Fenway Sports Group would be reluctant to sell. It is understood that the company would prefer to focus on raising the team’s strategic investment, rather than allowing an out-and-out sale. The conglomerate already sold a minority stake in Liverpool to Dynasty Equity in 2023.
Experts and analysts have said that if Musk is serious about buying Liverpool, it would completely revolutionize the way in which the club is run, not necessarily for the better. Liverpool is one of the best financially managed clubs in the world, and many argue that Musk’s leadership style could destabilize the club’s financial structure.
In an interview with Slingo, Dr. Rob Wilson, a football finance expert echoed this point, saying, “Liverpool is a financially well-managed club and there is no point in jeopardizing that for the sake of appeasing fans who don’t care about the economics of a team.”
Liverpool’s tumultuous season off the pitch
Many Liverpool fans consider rumors of a Musk takeover as the icing on the cake for a season that has been controversial outside the playing field. The team has been dealing with a lack of news on the contracts of three key players: Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
All three men will be out of contract come summer 2025, and have not been renewed thus far. Pressure is mounting on Fenway Sports Group to solve this situation, particularly as Real Madrid has already made an offer of close to US$20.6 million for Alexander-Arnold.
This rather controversial situation is a stark comparison to the team’s performance on the pitch so far this season. Liverpool sits at the top of the Premier League and the Champions League, with Salah being at the top of both the scoring lists and assist lists in the league.
Now, it remains to be seen whether Luis Diaz’s team can handle the external pressure, including Musk’s takeover interest, and remain focused on making Liverpool’s season a success.