Liverpool considering ‘several’ offers for club, with Torres key to future
If Kenny Huang had hoped that his prospective takeover of Liverpool would run smoothly following his declaration of interest yesterday, then the Chinese tycoon was in for a shock this morning.
Reds chairman Martin Broughton has hinted that he and the Reds board are considering “several” prospective offers for the club, with as many as six bids rumoured to be competing with Huang’s for their attention.
The Hong Kong-based head of QSL Sports Ltd has been in negotiations with the Royal Bank of Scotland – the bank who is still owed around £237million by Liverpool – and BarCap – who are advising on the sale – for the past few weeks, but now faces competition.
It is unclear just who the other offers are from, but with Huang – pretty sensibly – putting pressure on the debt-stricken Premier League giants to make a decision before the closure of the transfer window at the end of this month. What is apparent is that the club would like a decision on the matter sooner rather than later.
Current co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are believed to have reservations about Huang’s offer – rumoured to be around £325million – because it is below the value that they place upon the club, while it would also leave the pair without a profit, but Broughton’s appointment as independent chairman in April effectively took the final say on a takeover out of the American duo’s hands.
Broughton and the Americans are part of a five-man board along with managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre, and so the Texans will not be able to prevent a sale themselves should the other three members outvote them.
“Any bids that go straight to RBS [to pay off the debt] – and there have been several – come to me and are directed to BarCap,” said Broughton.
“RBS are not involved. The control remains with the [club’s] board.
“It still remains the objective to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window, but there are no deadlines and we will continue working to complete the process.”
Huang’s decision to go public with his interest places him in a powerful position, and he doesn’t look like letting that power slip.
One unnamed source close to the tycoon has wasted no time in attempting to get Liverpool’s fans onside by promising the world – or at least world-class stars – to them and boss Roy Hodgson.
“It could be Lionel Messi, and every effort would be made to sign him,” he said.
“This guy [Huang] is deadly serious about taking over and wants it done this month so Roy can significantly improve the team and go into the season with a realistic chance of winning something.”
While such statements should be taken with enough pinches of salt to fill the River Mersey, Huang and his backers will know that the club currently have the most marketable of assets on board already.
On any other day, the news of Fernando Torres’ return to training at Melwood after a summer of feverish transfer speculation would have made all of the headlines, but given the way that yesterday panned out for the club, there was probably an altogether more significant piece of news.
Yesterday – somewhat ironically – was the day that it was revealed that Torres’ name was the most popular to feature on replica Premier League shirts for the second successive season.
While Reds supporters have been desperate for the player to stay for footballing reasons – 72 goals in 116 games speak for themselves – Torres himself has been openly concerned about the direction that the club is heading in. Several meetings with Purslow have reassured him about future plans, but the current regime, Huang and all of the other mystery bidders must know how vital it is to keep him at the club. He is a marketing man’s dream.
“Torres has multiplied the image of Liverpool in Asia,” said ex-boss Rafael Benitez on a pre-season tour to the Far East last summer. “The women here are crazy about him.”
The Asian market is growing increasingly important for Liverpool – new shirt sponsors Standard Chartered have a huge presence on the continent – and so prospective owners will know that they can cash in on Torres’ image and his marketability. Huang certainly will.
The act of the forward leaving this summer would have surely sent out the wrong message to club suitors, and so thankfully it now appears as though the Spaniard has decided to stay; a choice no doubt aided by the imminent change of ownership at the top and the change of attitude and feeling that will bring.
He has made his choice; the task now is for his paymasters to do the same.
Huang and company will be waiting by the phone.
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