Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Liverpool Football Club, in
takeover talks with Dubai-based investors, chose Laing
O'Rourke Plc to build a new 200 million-pound ($390 million)
stadium, three people familiar with the situation said.
Laing, site manager for the 2012 Olympics and builder
of Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, won the order without an
official round of bidding, said the people, who asked not to be
identified before the contract is made public. Dartford-based
Laing is Britain's biggest closely held construction company.
``Liverpool are right to be doing this ahead of getting a
new owner so they can start building straight away,'' said
Mark Hughes, a construction analyst at Numis Securities in
Liverpool. The club's games ``sell out every week and there
are thousands more people who would go if there was room.''
Dubai International Capital LLC said on Dec. 4 it was
examining Liverpool's accounts and may buy England's most-
successful soccer side. A takeover would provide funds for a
60,000-seat stadium, raising capacity by one-third and helping
the club to compete with rivals Chelsea and Manchester United
as it seeks a first top-flight league title since 1990.
Construction of Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium in London,
which was completed on schedule, took 2 1/2 years from the start
of work in January 2004. The England Football Association's
new 90,000-seat Wembley stadium, the world's most-expensive
sports venue, is running more than a year behind schedule after
cost overruns at Sydney-based builder Multiplex Ltd.
Delayed Move
Liverpool's plans to move from its existing Anfield ground
have been delayed for more than three years as its chairman and
largest shareholder, David Moores, seeks new investment.
Liverpool wouldn't comment on its stadium plans today. Amy
Horsley in the club's press office said she wasn't authorized to
speak and declined to put calls through to Chief Executive Officer
Rick Parry. Official spokesman Ian Cotton didn't return calls.
The club had ticket and other match-day sales of 49 million
euros in fiscal 2005, according to Deloitte and Touche LLP.
Northwest England rival Manchester United achieved 103 million
euros, the most in the sport, and has since expanded its Old
Trafford home to a capacity of more than 76,000 from 68,000.
Carillion Plc, named preferred bidder on an initial stadium
contract with Liverpool in March 2003, was not asked to price
the job when the plan was revived, the people said. Sir Robert
McAlpine, builder of the Emirates Stadium and a planned 80,000-
seat arena for the London Olympics, declined to bid, they said.
Mark Way, an external spokesman for Laing, would neither
confirm nor deny that the builder had won the Liverpool contract.
Laing secured the order after completing projects elsewhere
in Liverpool, the people said, including a 900 million-pound
redevelopment of the city center and two new grandstands at
Aintree race course, home to the Grand National steeplechase.
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