• Cousin of Manchester City owner thought to have made offer • Fenway Sports Group ‘clear and consistent: club is not for sale’

Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, is still open to new outside investment but remains steadfast in its stance that the club is not for sale.

Details have emerged of a proposed £2bn takeover bid from Abu Dhabi-based Sheik Khaled Bin Zayed al-Nehayan, the cousin of the Manchester City owner, Sheik Mansour, as reported by the Daily Mail.

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However, Press Association Sport understands that interest – one of a number of approaches FSG has received in recent years – did not get past the vetting stage because it was deemed neither credible nor worthy of being put to the ownership.

“FSG have been clear and consistent: the club is not for sale,” said a Liverpool statement. “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 market places and in line with the continued development and growth of the club and the team.”

FSG has seen how Manchester City, despite the backing of their billionaire owne, opened themselves up to beneficial investment opportunities after they sold a 13% stake to a Chinese consortium in 2015 for £265m.

FSG uses the services of the New York-based investment bank Allen & Company to vet and filter any interest it receives and this approach was no different. However, it became apparent the interest was not viable as proof of funds were not forthcoming, meaning the approach never got past the discussion stage with the bank and the proposals were not put forward to FSG’s principal owner, John Henry, and other key figures such as Tom Werner, Liverpool’s chairman, and FSG’s president, Mike Gordon.

FSG has invested significantly in the club since its £300m purchase of the club in October 2010, with the £115m redevelopment of Anfield’s Main Stand, a £50m commitment to build a new training ground, securing Jürgen Klopp on a six-year contract in 2016 and this summer alone spending £170m on transfers.