Liverpool owners FSG exploring deal to buy fallen Spanish giants Malaga

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are reportedly looking into a deal to buy Spanish second tier club Malaga.

Once a contender in the latter stages of the Champions League, Malaga have endured a staggering decline over the past decade and last season played their football in the country’s regionalised third division.

But according to The Athletic, FSG are targeting Los Boquerones for acquisition as they look to take the club back to the upper echelons of European football.

FSG, headed up by John Henry, are said to be eager to develop a multi-club model, akin to the City Group, and sent a delegation to Malaga’s facilities in February to evaluate a potential purchase.

The Reds owners are open to all forms of investment, so long as they are able to inject a level of capital that can have an impact on the club’s football operation.

Their immediate focus is said to be the stake of majority shareholder Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani - the Qatari businessman owns 51 per cent of Malaga, while Spanish hotel and real estate group Blue Bay own the other 49 per cent.

This development aligned with FSG’s intention to diversify their club portfolio and comes nearly a year after they expressed an interest in acquiring fellow fallen giant Bordeaux, with the six-time Ligue 1 champions dropping to the French fourth tier due to cataclysmic financial issues and bankruptcy. FSG later withdrew from talks to buy the club.

Malaga, who have not seen the light of La Liga since suffering relegation in 2018, earned promotion back to the second tier last term but remain a far cry from their previous self, currently 15th in the division in limbo between the relegation zone and play-off places.

They famously reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2013 and were on the verge of ousting eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund for a place in the last four, only to be pipped at the post by a highly controversial stoppage-time winner from Felipe Santana.

FSG are not the only interested party in Malaga, with Paris Saint-Germain’s ownership group Qatar Sports Investments revealing to The Athletic earlier this week that it was also keen.

FSG’s interest in Spanish football is not limited to Malaga, though, and appear to be exploring multiple options. They have conducted due diligence and site visits on a number of Spanish sides over the past year, including Levante, Elche, Espanyol, Getafe and Real Valladolid.

Alongside Liverpool, FSG boasts stakes in a variety of core American sports and also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, NASCAR’s RFK Racing, and TGL’s Boston Common Golf.