Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has dismissed suggestions Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard will have to be sold to ease the club’s mounting debt.
Financial reports released for the first time show the club itself made an operating loss before tax of £16m in the year ending July 31, 2009, down from a £10.2m profit in the previous 12 months.
Kop Holdings, the company set up by co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to buy Liverpool in 2007, made a loss before tax of £54.9m.
That plunged the finances further into the red, with the debt rising from £299.8m to £351.4m, with interest payments on loans increasing by £3.6m to £40.1m.
With their rivals sensing weakness, there have already been reports of Chelsea preparing a £70m bid for Torres and Real Madrid considering a £35m offer for Gerrard.
Broughton said neither instances would be considered as both players remained integral to manager Rafael Benitez’s team.
‘‘There is absolutely no reason to sell either Torres or Gerrard,’’ said the British Airways chairman, brought in last month by the co-owners to oversee the sale of the club.
‘‘I don’t want to sell either of them.
“Rafa does not want to sell either of them, the club is not looking to sell them. We don’t need to do it to pay off any debt.”
Financial reports released for the first time show the club itself made an operating loss before tax of £16m in the year ending July 31, 2009, down from a £10.2m profit in the previous 12 months.
Kop Holdings, the company set up by co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to buy Liverpool in 2007, made a loss before tax of £54.9m.
That plunged the finances further into the red, with the debt rising from £299.8m to £351.4m, with interest payments on loans increasing by £3.6m to £40.1m.
With their rivals sensing weakness, there have already been reports of Chelsea preparing a £70m bid for Torres and Real Madrid considering a £35m offer for Gerrard.
Broughton said neither instances would be considered as both players remained integral to manager Rafael Benitez’s team.
‘‘There is absolutely no reason to sell either Torres or Gerrard,’’ said the British Airways chairman, brought in last month by the co-owners to oversee the sale of the club.
‘‘I don’t want to sell either of them.
“Rafa does not want to sell either of them, the club is not looking to sell them. We don’t need to do it to pay off any debt.”
No comments:
Post a Comment