Liverpool are playing Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds on their 2026 pre-season tour. With Liverpool stating that they have more than 26 million supporters in the USA, there is little surprise over why the Reds chose America as the destination for their pre-season tour.

This has been quite the summer for football here and Billy Hogan, CEO of Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group (FSG), insists the aim is to build on that after what has been a "super difficult year" for the club "for lots of different reasons."

Hogan is speaking to BBC Sport in New York ahead of Andoni Iraola's side taking on Wrexham at the famous Yankee Stadium on Wednesday evening at 19:30 local time, 00:30 BST.

However, for all the excitement around a new era on the pitch, it is events off the pitch that must be addressed first. Last week, FSG, which owns Liverpool, confirmed that a consortium led by Amit Bhatia, a British-Indian millionaire businessman, was in talks over a strategic minority investment in the club.

Those talks have been ongoing and there is a growing belief that a deal will be done. "Look, John Henry (the principal owner) and FSG have always said that if there was an interest in an investment that would help the football club, then they would consider it. That was said many years ago and that remains the case here," Hogan tells BBC Sport.

"At this point, I wouldn't say anything different to the statement that a consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has come forward and expressed an interest in a minority investment."

Hogan, who has been with FSG since they purchased Liverpool for £300m in 2010, does stress though that they are still very much committed to the project and that news of this development should not be seen as a sign of the company, which also owns the Major League Baseball franchise, Boston Red Sox, stepping away.

According to the Financial Times, a deal with the consortium led by Bhatia would value Liverpool at more than £4.5bn.

"There's a huge opportunity still," Hogan says. "This is the biggest and most popular sport in the world and we're one of the biggest clubs in the biggest league in the biggest sport in the world. So that's a great place for us to be. The Premier League has a tremendous amount of momentum behind it.

"We've definitely not peaked. We're in a good place to continue to grow and that's why everyone across both sides of the club, football and business and whether they kick a ball or not, is focused on driving the club forward and winning trophies.

"On the pitch, our goal every season is to win trophies. Off the pitch, our priority is to continue driving overall revenues and expand and build the club. We’re really happy with the trajectory and direction of the club - we were fifth in the Deloitte Football Money League and had the highest revenue (£702m) in the Premier League.

"All of that investment, as has always been the case since 2010, goes back into the club. It's about running the club sustainably."

Who is potential investor Bhatia? Consortium in talks to buy Liverpool minority stake.

The Empire State Building was lit up in Liverpool red on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the club's new away kit.

After a record summer spend last season of £450m, Liverpool were disappointing on the pitch. Ultimately, that led to the sacking of Arne Slot at the end of the campaign. Senior players like Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate all left on free transfers too.

It has been a summer of change at Liverpool with Michael Edwards stepping down as FSG's CEO of football, primarily because plans of multi-club ownership were abandoned. Meanwhile, Richard Hughes, Liverpool's sporting director, is linked with a move to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. There is certainly a question of stability.

"Transition and change is inevitable in football. In our case, with a new coach coming in, there's real excitement around Andoni's mindset and philosophy that supporters will really enjoy," says Hogan. "That will take time but in terms of transition, I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season and the season ahead."

Hogan insists that regardless of the personnel changes, the club model remains the same and they will continue to stick to their principles. "It's important to keep in mind that last season, a considerable amount was invested but also generated in terms of sales of players going out," he says.

"Over the course of FSG's stewardship, the investment has always been focused on doing what's best to put us in a place to win. Sometimes that means significant expense and other times it doesn't like in the summer of 2024 when there was only one addition (Federico Chiesa for £12.5m). It depends on where we are at the club and the improvements needed. Ultimately Mike Gordon, who is really our managing owner, will make those decisions."

There is an increased focus on the women's team too, who finished 11th in the WSL last season and haven't won the top-flight title since 2014. "To be self-critical, that is probably an area that we maybe took our eye off the ball several years ago but we've changed that," says Hogan.

"We now have one of the best training centres at AXA Melwood, we are investing in the squad and we will approach the women's team the same way we approach the men's team - which is to run it sustainably. There's tremendous growth in the women's game and a huge opportunity going forward to really drive that."

Liverpool preparing opening bid for PSG's Barcola.

It is still remarkable to think now that the club was on the verge of administration when FSG took over in 2010. It hasn't all been plain sailing. As recently as this year, Hogan wrote to fans over ticket price increases.

The club cut the size of their planned rise in ticket prices for the next couple of seasons after fan protests. However, under FSG's stewardship, Anfield has been transformed, with two of the four stands developed in the last decade.

"Back when FSG acquired LFC, a number of similarities were drawn with Boston Red Sox and Liverpool and one of them was this idea of an iconic venue that truly sits in the community," says Hogan.

"One of the things we're focused on now is making improvements in the footprint around Anfield the neighbourhood whether that's infrastructure or transport and getting people in on non-match days. We're proud of how we've expanded while keeping the soul but also modernising it in the way that's befitting of the football club.

"Football doesn't give you much time to sit back and reflect. What I would say I am most proud of is that the club is in such a positive and good financial position. If you go back to that point in 2010, the club was literally on the brink of bankruptcy. Now it has the right foundations underneath it.

There's improvements across the infrastructure, the ability to stay at Anfield for the long-term and the stuff that doesn't always get headlines but are super important for the health of the club. Ultimately, it's about winning trophies and I wish we could win more but we've been fortunate to win a few.

"I think our supporters have had a great time and I often think about the fan parks at the Champions League finals - we lost a couple but just that joy and the memories and frankly the fun of it is what I look back from time to time. And it's something that everyone associated with Liverpool should be proud of because it happens together and we all want this club to be the best in the world."

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