A Middle East investment group came close to buying Liverpool last month before dropping its interest in mysterious circumstances, according to The Times.
Liverpool's co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett deny they are looking to sell the club but sources claim that an Arab group — unrelated to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai — had made a firm offer, having inspected the company accounts, but walked away without explanation.
A Kuwait consortium is believed to have shown an interest but it is unclear of this was the same group who came close to buying the Reds.
Sheikh Mohammed, operating independently of the Dubai International Capital group, still has his £500million offer on the table.
Gillett said yesterday he was embarrassed at the way he and Hicks have coped with Liverpool's financial difficulties.
Plans to build a new stadium in Stanley Park have been put on hold amid the economic crisis and the pair were reported last month to have signalled that they are ready to sell their stake at Anfield after engaging Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer.
'You feel a responsibility and an embarrassment on occasions when you haven't provided all you might have,' Gillett told The Times Online. 'There's a level of embarrassment and you want to correct it quickly.'
Gillett remained tight-lipped on his personal thoughts about why the pair remain so unpopular with Reds supporters, adding: 'I think you would have to ask the fans. I think there are some things that have happened that upset them.
'But I think they're at a point where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill and allowing Rafael Benitez – one of the great coaches in the history of the sport – to do his thing so we just want to leave it that way.'
Gillett has refused to say how long he would remain at Anfield but admitted the financial crisis had affected his sporting interests.
'All the sports teams I know of are re-examining all of their futures,' he said. 'We now have clubs that will be successful in the long run, that can compete for the championship every year and don't depend on buying high-priced players every year.'
Liverpool's co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett deny they are looking to sell the club but sources claim that an Arab group — unrelated to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai — had made a firm offer, having inspected the company accounts, but walked away without explanation.
A Kuwait consortium is believed to have shown an interest but it is unclear of this was the same group who came close to buying the Reds.
Sheikh Mohammed, operating independently of the Dubai International Capital group, still has his £500million offer on the table.
Gillett said yesterday he was embarrassed at the way he and Hicks have coped with Liverpool's financial difficulties.
Plans to build a new stadium in Stanley Park have been put on hold amid the economic crisis and the pair were reported last month to have signalled that they are ready to sell their stake at Anfield after engaging Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer.
'You feel a responsibility and an embarrassment on occasions when you haven't provided all you might have,' Gillett told The Times Online. 'There's a level of embarrassment and you want to correct it quickly.'
Gillett remained tight-lipped on his personal thoughts about why the pair remain so unpopular with Reds supporters, adding: 'I think you would have to ask the fans. I think there are some things that have happened that upset them.
'But I think they're at a point where they are allowing the boys to demonstrate their skill and allowing Rafael Benitez – one of the great coaches in the history of the sport – to do his thing so we just want to leave it that way.'
Gillett has refused to say how long he would remain at Anfield but admitted the financial crisis had affected his sporting interests.
'All the sports teams I know of are re-examining all of their futures,' he said. 'We now have clubs that will be successful in the long run, that can compete for the championship every year and don't depend on buying high-priced players every year.'
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