Newcastle United's Premier League rivals issue takeover update

Werner confirmed that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are “exploring a sale” of the Premier League club – but he stressed that it remained “business as usual” at Anfield.

In his first public comments on a proposed partial or full sale, Werner told the Boston Globe: “We’re exploring a sale, but there’s no urgency, no time frame for us, and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s business as usual. One outcome could be our continued stewardship for quite a while.”

FSG partner Sam Kennedy spoke of interest from "numerous potential partners” in the club.

“It is early days in terms of exploring possibilities for possible investment into Liverpool,” he said. “There’s been a lot of interest from numerous potential partners considering investment into the club.”

FSG, then New England Sports Ventures, bought Liverpool for £300million in 2010. The club us now valued at around £3.5bn by Forbes.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed that the club could no longer compete financially with Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United last month.

Asked how Liverpool can keep pace with Abu Dhabi United Group-owned City, Klopp said: “Oh, you won’t like the answer. Nobody can compete with City in that.

“You have the best team in the world, and you put in the best striker on the market (Erling Haaland), no matter what it costs, you just do it. What does Liverpool do? We cannot act like them. It’s not possible.

“There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially. It’s legal and everything, fine, but they can do what they want.

“We have to look at it (and say) ‘we need that, and we need that, and we have to look here and make it younger, and here a prospect and here a talent’. That’s what you have to do.

"And you compete with them. You have to compete with them. It’s not a problem at all for me, it is like it is.”

Third-placed Newcastle, 80%-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund following a takeover last year, have eight points more than sixth-placed Liverpool.