Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Vladimir Romanov 'Got Scared' By Liverpool Offer

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov says he made a mistake in failing to buy Liverpool when he claims the club was offered to him for £200 million in 2005.

"In 2005, my club Kaunas was playing against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers," said the Lithuanian businessman and banker, who the same year bought a majority shareholding in Hearts.

"David Moores, who then owned Liverpool, suggested that I bought it for £200 million. The price was realistic, a serious piece of real estate, star players. Just to mention Gerrard."

Romanov admitted: "I got scared. By that time I had been beaten black and blue over Hearts in Scotland where they pictured me as an idiot. And I thought that if I got hold of Liverpool they would definitely drive me to an early grave."

He said he had planned a bid with a Russian businessman friend who he did not name. "He refused. And I did not risk getting into it on my own," he said.

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