Liverpool FC Want Two Bids On Table By End Of The Week

Liverpool FC chairman Martin Broughton wants to have at least two firm bids for the club on the table by the end of the week.

Several names have been linked in recent days with a takeover of the club, with Chinese tycoon Kenny Huang and Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi the most prominent figures. But no formal offers have yet been tabled.

Now Mr. Broughton wants the interested parties to prove they have the funds to buy the club.

He hopes to have two or three detailed bids on the table by the end of next week.

He could then enter detailed negotiations with the bidders, who could in turn begin a detailed examination of Liverpool’s finances.

It comes amid warnings that Liverpool FC could effectively become a state-owned enterprise unless a deal is agreed within weeks. State-owned Royal Bank of Scotland could take over the club if a sale is not completed by October 6 – the date the bank’s £237m loan to the club expires.

The leading potential bidder for Liverpool FC is currently a consortium led by Chinese businessman Kenny Huang.

The group said it wanted to pay off Liverpool’s debts, invest in the playing squad, build a new stadium and launch a push to promote the club in Asia.

It has not said how much its bid would be worth, though it is believed to be talking about an offer of £325m – well below the £600m-plus valuation Liverpool FC’s unpopular American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have put on the club.

The group, which includes Mr. Huang’s business partner Guang Yang and American sports consultant Marc Ganis, also denied speculation one of its key funders is the China Investment Corporation – the investment arm of the Chinese government.

Mr. Ganis said: “We haven’t submitted a formal proposal, but we submitted the broad parameters of what a proposal would look like to see if it would be welcomed, and it was.

“What is not one of our goals is the enrichment of the existing owners.

“If we submit a proposal and it is accepted, it would be focused on the future and not the past.”

Rival bidder Mr. Kirdi is understood to be favoured by Hicks and Gillett because a bid from him would leave them with a higher pay-off.

He leads a bid including investors from the Middle East and Canada.

Other potential bidders are reported to include the Kuwaiti Al Kharafi family and private equity company the Rhone Group. Rhone made a bid to acquire a 40% stake in the club earlier this year that was dismissed by Hicks and Gillett.

Leading supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly – ShareLiverpoolFC (SOS-SL) has warned that the club should not simply be sold to the highest bidder.

The 50,000 strong group says Broughton should ensure the club is not burdened with debt and has enough resources to compete at the highest level.

SOS-SL also urged RBS to “select the most suitable investor consortium”.

Liverpool FC’s £237m debt to RBS is due to be repaid on October 6 and if a sale has not been completed by then the bank could choose to take control of the club.

RBS is 83% owned by the taxpayer, meaning the club would effectively be nationalized.

That puts more pressure on Broughton to agree a deal quickly.

Last week Liverpool FC company secretary Ian Silvester said: “From what I understand, and it’s all I can say, the urgency is there due to the pressure from the banks, so I would anticipate that something will be happening within the next four to six weeks or so.”