By COLIN WOOD
Liverpool chairman David Moores is close to completing a deal which could see him sell control of the club before the end of the month while raising much-needed funds for a new stadium and investment in the team.
Moores and chief executive Rick Parry will inform the board at a meeting on Thursday of the state of negotiations with a number of parties, led by Dubai International Capital, whose head Samari Ansari is a Liverpool fan.
George Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club and formerly the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, is rated the other leading candidate to take control, but, although Moores and Parry have visited him for talks, it is understood he has still to make a formal offer.
Others who remain hopeful of sealing a deal include Belfast property millionaire John Miskelly, a Norwegian group led by Oystein Stray Spetalen and Petter Stordalen, and a consortium based in Switzerland put together by Robert Herd, the former chairman of Oxford United.
Moores has a 51 per cent stake in the club and will be a reluctant seller after three years of attempting to seek investment while retaining control.
But it appears he will have to accept that nobody will provide the money Liverpool need without taking over.
A sticking point has been the valuation of Moores' shares. He holds more than 17,000 and priced them at £6,000 each.
The best offer has been £4,000 a share, but agreement is much closer.
If he sells, the money would go to him, but he would seek a guarantee that the buyer would also take out the club's 15,000 unissued shares.
That money would go to the club, who are believed to be more than £80m in debt and need an estimated £200m for the new 60,000-seater stadium.
Liverpool chairman David Moores is close to completing a deal which could see him sell control of the club before the end of the month while raising much-needed funds for a new stadium and investment in the team.
Moores and chief executive Rick Parry will inform the board at a meeting on Thursday of the state of negotiations with a number of parties, led by Dubai International Capital, whose head Samari Ansari is a Liverpool fan.
George Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club and formerly the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, is rated the other leading candidate to take control, but, although Moores and Parry have visited him for talks, it is understood he has still to make a formal offer.
Others who remain hopeful of sealing a deal include Belfast property millionaire John Miskelly, a Norwegian group led by Oystein Stray Spetalen and Petter Stordalen, and a consortium based in Switzerland put together by Robert Herd, the former chairman of Oxford United.
Moores has a 51 per cent stake in the club and will be a reluctant seller after three years of attempting to seek investment while retaining control.
But it appears he will have to accept that nobody will provide the money Liverpool need without taking over.
A sticking point has been the valuation of Moores' shares. He holds more than 17,000 and priced them at £6,000 each.
The best offer has been £4,000 a share, but agreement is much closer.
If he sells, the money would go to him, but he would seek a guarantee that the buyer would also take out the club's 15,000 unissued shares.
That money would go to the club, who are believed to be more than £80m in debt and need an estimated £200m for the new 60,000-seater stadium.
Comment