If a deal goes through, it would mark the second blockbuster sports transaction in Southern California this year, following the $2.15-billion purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team by Guggenheim Baseball Management. That was a world-record price for a sports franchise.

“Given the success of the management team and employees in establishing AEG as one of the premier real estate development, live sports and entertainment platforms in the world, as well as the value AEG has created with the strategic assets that comprise its platform, this is an appropriate time to transition AEG to a new qualified owner," said Cannon Y. Harvey, Anschutz Co. president.

The AEG unit is pursuing plans to build a professional football stadium next to the Staples Center in hopes that it would serve as the future home of an NFL team.