Manchester City Owner's Cousin Reportedly Failed in £2B Liverpool Takeover Bid

The cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour reportedly failed with a £2 billion attempt to purchase Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group in late 2017 and early 2018.

Adam Crafton and Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail reported Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan's purchase attempt would have been the most expensive in football history had it been approved.

The Merseyside club also released a statement explaining their refusal to sell, per ITV: 

"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 marketplaces and in line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team."

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner met with Sheikh Khaled and may feel upbeat about the decision not to sell, with the Reds having since reached the UEFA Champions League final in May and now having a made a 100 per cent start to the Premier League season. 

Although the takeover attempt sounds significant, the Mirror's David Maddock insisted it was a futile attempt by Sheikh Khaled, owing to the fact it went against FSG's desire to secure small investment:

According to Crafton and Lawton, the bid included Chinese investment and would have been a joint venture.

It is said that Stephen D. Greenberg, managing director of a firm called Allan & Co., was sought out by Liverpool to attract minority investment. It's also mentioned Greenberg and Sheikh Khaled were in "prolonged talks." 

According to the report, a Swiss hedge fund called Alternative Advisors had been contacted by Sheikh Khaled's firm Bin Zayed International to help raise the funds for any takeover, and an email witnessed said an agreement for a total sale was in place:

"The client wishes a financial partner for the acquisition of a British football club. Client has confirmed to AA that the current shareholder of the club agreed to sell 100 per cent of the share of the club on the basis of a £2 billion valuation."

Liverpool have insisted no sale was ever agreed, however, and those in charge have stood firm in that the Reds are not for sale.

Manchester City's spending was sent into the stratosphere after Pep Guardiola's 2016 arrival at the Etihad Stadium and bore fruit with a rampant run to the Premier League title last term, his second campaign with the club.

Liverpool's trip to the Champions League final in May and their overall improvements under Jurgen Klopp suggests they're catching up with the Citizens, though ESPN FC pundit Steve Nicol still sees where the gulf lies:

Guardiola's City were one of the teams Liverpool beat to reach the final in Europe, but the Reds are now seeking the investment to put a blueprint in place that will allow them to challenge more regularly.