Advertisement
LeBron James learns of Liverpool's Champions League prospects, shortly after taking a minority stake in the team today. Jim Mone/AP
Liverpool FC

LeBron James to take part ownership of Liverpool FC

No, seriously – the Miami Heat star has reportedly struck a deal to take a part stake as part of a deal to take on new agents.

BASKETBALL MEGASTAR LeBron James has struck a deal with the owners of Liverpool FC to become a part owner of the club, it’s been reported tonight.

The Wall Street Journal said James, currently with Miami Heat, had reached a deal with Liverpool’s owner Fenway Sports Group – which would see James take on a small stake in the club, in returning for giving an FSG subsidiary the right to become his exclusive worldwide agent.

The deal, the WSJ said, was the first time that a professional athlete had taken an ownership in a team of Liverpool’s stature.

“We’re not interested in talent or athlete representation but we think he is one of the most remarkable athletes of his time,” FSG co-owner Tom Werner said in an interview.

“We believe we can open doors for LeBron, and LeBron can open doors for us.”

James, who earns $15,800,000 per season with the Heat, joined the side after a protracted, high-profile move from the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer. He also takes in an estimated $30m a year through sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Coca-Cola.

His basic sporting wage – equating to around £185,000 a week – is higher than that of Liverpool’s own highest earner, club captain Steven Gerrard, who is thought to earn about £135,000 a week.

FSG – previously known as ‘New England Sports Ventures’ – won control of the Anfield club following a protracted battle of their own against the club’s former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett during the summer.

That takeover saw legal action at courts on either side of the Atlantic, with courts in Dallas imposing injunctions on the sale of the club by chairman Martin Broughton only for Britain’s High Court to then rule the earlier injunctions void.

Hicks and Gillett are still pursuing Broughton and the other former members of the Liverpool board for damages.

Read more by Matthew Fullerton at WSJ.com >