In a joint fund with New York Yankees, Lebron James is set to invest in Serie A champions AC Milan with the basketball legend making a similar move for Liverpool back in 2011. According to Financial Times, the four-time NBA MVP will be part of a group headed by the Yankees to invest in Milan, with the baseball giants also shareholders in reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and MLS side New York City FC. Milan were recently bought by RedBird, whose owner and founder Gerry Cardinale, had worked with the Yankees for quite some time, with James joining the new investment group with the hope of finding similar success to what the American sporting legend has achieved with Liverpool. 

The now 37-year-old Basketball legend became a minority shareholder at Liverpool back in 2011 investing a reported £5m in return for 2% ownership. The stake is now believed to be worth £100m which makes James one of the richest athletes in the world and only the second basketball player to have a net worth of over $1 billion. James has picked an interesting next club to invest in following his incredible success with the Reds. Liverpool beat Milan twice in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season and the two sides met each other in some famous encounters throughout the years. Indeed, with Milan under new owners and off the back of their first Serie A title win in over a decade, it makes sense why the Yankees and James have now decided to invest in the Italian giants. 

Given the direction that Milan are going in as well as the growth of the division abroad, the LA Lakers superstar could yet again be making a great business decision. James and rapper Drake will be passive investors in Milan through Main Street Advisors of which they are partners and have not taken direct stakes. The acquisition is nearing conclusion, according to the Financial Times. Champions League rules prohibit two clubs in the competition from being under the same ownership to protect the integrity of games on the field. European soccer's governing body, UEFA, will likely have to make a judgment on the extent of RedBird's influence on decision-making at Liverpool. RedBird is set to become Milan's fourth owner in five years. The Rossoneri are seven-time European champions and most recently won the Italian league title, their first in 11 years. Inter Milan, Roma, Fiorentina and Bologna are among other foreign-owned teams in Serie A.