Following recent news of a believed return to the auction table, from previous Syrian interest in the form of Yahya Kirdi, it has emerged that previously rumoured Chinese investor Kenneth Huang is again in talks for the purchase of Liverpool Football Club but this time with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) as opposed to Tom Hicks & George Gillett .
Early reports from the Telegraph and The Times suggest that Kenneth Huang, who is partnered by one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the Far East, is committed to gaining control of the club before an exodus of players leave the club, namely the high profile Fernando Torres. Suggestion is that Torres who returns to Melwood later today will be kept abreast of developments and asked to consider them carefully before many any decision to leave the club. Recent indication from Roy Hodgson over the past week is that the player has suggested he is already looking to continue his term at Liverpool, for the near future anyway, but the player is yet to publicly announce such a decsion due to being on a 3 week leave following the World Cup.
Liverpool have been up for sale since April this year, when Hicks & Gillett finally called time on their Liverpool ownership and Martin Broughton (the British Airways chairman) was recruited to oversee the sale of the club. In an auction style sale, he began to searchfor the best overall candidate taking into consideration plans for a new stadium, existing debt circa £237m and a squad lacking depth and in need of overhaul but responses seem to have been at a minimum until recent days.
Sources close to the Chinese magnate are reported to have said that Huang is eager to push the Liverpool deal through quickly to make as much use of the transfer window as possible, bolstering the squad as the new season nears to getting underway. RBS interest is likely to be extremely high in regards to the projected bid as it aims to remove debt from Liverpool Football Club and cover the majority of the loans presently tied against it.
Previous press speculation and suggestion from H&G has been that they were looking to make considerable profit on the sale of Liverpool Football Club despite the debt that they had placed it under following their leveraged buy out process. Previously quotes figures ranged anywhere between the £500m and £800m as suggestions but it is believed that the reality of the actual sale value could be sub £400m.
Liverpool fans will continue to look on in interest and with a greater level of hope than in recent months concerning the sale, if Huang is dealing direct with RBS who have the power to pressure H&G into a decision which they may not have considered so quickly dealing direct. Promising times may well lay ahead for the club but the coming days may lead to further speculation and versions of events as much as progressive updates. Liverpool fans will also hope that RBS thoroughly investigate the offering in the greatest depth possible given previous experiences and also that RBS do not just jump at the first opportunity to rid themselves of the troublesome Americans without it being in the best interest of all parties involved.
Interesting times…
But not least plz build the great wall of china at anfield….haha.. it such a great news… YWNA
But i think its too late, maybe on january we have a chance to bring some player in.
-Defour -M-, VDV -CAM or LWM-, Suarez -ST-, Mata or Turan -LWM-
With everything going on at Liverpool Football Club at the moment this could help boost the moral of the players and bring players in but one thing i wouldnt want to happen is what happened with Chelsea and Man City, they have all that money but so much of it wasted on players that didnt perform. But with Roy at the helm it could become a match made in heaven, lets hope no hasty decisions are made. YNWA, COME ON THE KOP!!!!
Can you clarift one point for me – I understand that RBSare obliged to listen to any offers brought to them by Tom and Gerry – so effectively does this mean they can stall until DECEMBER 10 – Only then can RBS force the sale – is this correct??