Saudi Arabia ‘Set Sights’ on ‘Bigger Club’ With Liverpool & Barcelona Targeted
In recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been on a mission to take over the sporting world and so far they have already conquered combat sports with Boxing and UFC regularly taking place in Riyadh.
They have also been trying to get a foothold on the world's biggest stage, football. Despite seemingly having unlimited funds, they have been unable to achieve the same success as the United Arab Emirates has had with Manchester City or even what Qatar has had with Paris Saint-Germain.
In 2021, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) controvesially purchased Newcastle United from then-owner Mike Ashley for around £300million.
Despite finishing in the top four during the 2022/23 Premier League season, Eddie Howe's side failed to even qualify for Europe the season after, restricting their spending even more than it already was.
Due to financial fair play rules and how much of a mess the Magpies were in before the Saudis took over, PIF have been unable to utilise all of the money they have at their disposal to help Newcastle become the new Man City.
Whether it is due to frustration with how long it is taking or part of their sporting domination plan, Miguel Delaney has reported in The Independent on Tuesday that PIF are now looking at other clubs to takeover.
According to the report, via OneFootball, there is a ‘feeling within the game’ that PIF are ‘ultimately eyeing a bigger club’ with ‘rumours abound about both Liverpool and Chelsea.'
The report also mentions that Barcelona could be an option for the Saudi Arabian outfit given their financial troubles.
It seems very unlikely that Todd Boehly will want to sell Chelsea so soon after purchasing them, however, a move for Liverpool is not off the table as reports from last year claimed Fenway Sports Group could sell if the price was right, with the American owners looking to invest in an NBA or NFL side.
Whether Liverpool fans would allow the takeover to happen is another topic altogether, with the Reds fans being one of the most outspoken fanbases when it comes to sports washing.
