DaMaGe13
01-16-2008, 12:32 PM
Speculation about the ownership of Liverpool Football Club is again rife, with the current American owners reportedly ready to sell, and Dubai International Capital said to be monitoring developments closely ahead of an expected bid.
The Independent newspaper says there is a dispute between, on the one hand, the US businessmen who jointly own the club - George Gillett and Tom Hicks - and on the other, Liverpool's board.
The issue is whether the football club should be burdened with massive debts, and it has raised doubts about the American pair's long-term future at Anfield.
According to The Independent, they are rumoured to have agreed a deal to sell.
One source, a major football financier, claimed on Tuesday night that Hicks and Gillett had agreed a deal in principle to sell Liverpool FC for £350million - and that a process of due diligence was currently under way.
That begs the question, who are the potential buyers?
And the group most persistently and credibly linked with a possible bid for Liverpool are Dubai International Capital, an investment vehicle controlled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, one of the world's richest men.
DIC came very close to buying Liverpool a year ago but were upstaged at the last minute by Gillett and Hicks.
However, they are still very interested, although the source suggested that a different investor - or partnership - might be behind the £350million bid.
A DIC spokeswoman said: "We can only say 'no comment' at this stage."
Counterbalancing this rumour, 'inside sources' at Liverpool have apparently denied that a deal has been concluded with DIC, or that any due diligence is underway.
And both Hicks and the club are maintaining that Hicks is an unwilling seller - to anyone - at the moment.
Yet another 'senior' source at Liverpool told The Independent: "It is difficult to say categorically what is going on."
It is believed there is a widening rift between the board - who are trying to run the club on a day-to-day basis - and the owners, who are apparently trying to switch their personal debt incurred in acquiring and investing in Liverpool, on to the club itself.
The bank loan they used to buy the club falls due at the end of February so there is a time pressure involved.
The Independent newspaper says there is a dispute between, on the one hand, the US businessmen who jointly own the club - George Gillett and Tom Hicks - and on the other, Liverpool's board.
The issue is whether the football club should be burdened with massive debts, and it has raised doubts about the American pair's long-term future at Anfield.
According to The Independent, they are rumoured to have agreed a deal to sell.
One source, a major football financier, claimed on Tuesday night that Hicks and Gillett had agreed a deal in principle to sell Liverpool FC for £350million - and that a process of due diligence was currently under way.
That begs the question, who are the potential buyers?
And the group most persistently and credibly linked with a possible bid for Liverpool are Dubai International Capital, an investment vehicle controlled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, one of the world's richest men.
DIC came very close to buying Liverpool a year ago but were upstaged at the last minute by Gillett and Hicks.
However, they are still very interested, although the source suggested that a different investor - or partnership - might be behind the £350million bid.
A DIC spokeswoman said: "We can only say 'no comment' at this stage."
Counterbalancing this rumour, 'inside sources' at Liverpool have apparently denied that a deal has been concluded with DIC, or that any due diligence is underway.
And both Hicks and the club are maintaining that Hicks is an unwilling seller - to anyone - at the moment.
Yet another 'senior' source at Liverpool told The Independent: "It is difficult to say categorically what is going on."
It is believed there is a widening rift between the board - who are trying to run the club on a day-to-day basis - and the owners, who are apparently trying to switch their personal debt incurred in acquiring and investing in Liverpool, on to the club itself.
The bank loan they used to buy the club falls due at the end of February so there is a time pressure involved.