Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2009 6:24 pm Post subject: Possible Liverpool takever
From BBC Sport..
A Saudi Arabian prince has confirmed he is looking to buy up to half of Premier League football club Liverpool.
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud told the Saudi Al-Riyadh newspaper "we are looking forward to acquiring 50% of the club's stake".
The price of £200m to £350m he is ready to pay for the stake is more than the £174m US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett paid for the whole club.
A deal to open football schools in the Middle East has also been signed.
'Sports investments'
The prince's sports investment company F6 has confirmed it has reached a deal with Liverpool co-owner George Gillett to set up two academies in Saudi Arabia and two in North Africa.
The deal would also extend the interests of the US Nascar motorsport series in the Middle East.
"This partnership will provide a lot of investments in football, racing and sports media in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East," an F6 statement said.
"The contracts are basically sports investments, which also include establishing football academies that will definitely help the future of Saudi sports in the future."
Meanwhile the prince said it would be "marvellous" to seal a deal securing a 50% at the Merseyside club, which he called one of the most famous in the world.
'Concluded soon'
Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett have been looking to reduce Liverpool's £245m debt and paid off £60m in July.
That was when the loan used taken out to buy the club in February 2007 ran out and was renegotiated with banks RBS and Wachovia.
Considering what Hicks and Gillett paid it is a huge increase in the club's value
Harry Philp, Hermes Sports Partners
"The deal will be concluded soon and its value will be between £200m and £350m," the Al-Riyadh paper quoted the prince, who is also an honorary member of Saudi football club Al Hilal, as saying.
"If we finalise the deal, it will be something marvellous because Liverpool is one of the best and most famous clubs in England and the whole world."
The Saudi interest comes after a document was leaked showing that since March 2009 the club has been seeking to attract new investors in return for a stake in the Anfield club.
In March 2009, a prospectus drawn up by investment banks Rothschild and Merrill Lynch told potential investors that for £50m they could get a minority stake in "one of the world's most successful football clubs".
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud, who was at Anfield on Saturday for the 6-1 win over Hull - where he signed the deal for the academies - now appears to be seeking to invest much more than £50m.
As well as the F6 sports investment vehicle he is also chairman of Saudi holding company FAMA Group
Stadium on hold
"Considering what Hicks and Gillett paid it is a huge increase in the club's value to somewhere between £400m and £700m," Harry Philp, managing director at sports financers and advisers Hermes Sports Partners, told the BBC.
"They had to refinance their debt with their banks recently. Despite paying off £60m of their debt recently as part of that refinancing it is still surprising, particularly considering that plans for a new stadium are on hold."
However, a number of questions remain over any possible investment, should the Saudis take a stake.
"The Saudis will have to take 25% of the club from each of Hicks and Gillett if they want half the club, but whether they both would be willing to sell any more of their holdings is unknown," added Mr Philp.
Mr Hicks has promised that a new stadium will be built when the current global financial turmoil settles down.
Liverpool recently signed a sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered bank, a sign that the club's commercial revenues are set to remain healthy over the coming seasons.
The deal begins next July and runs to the end of the 2013/14 season.
Newspaper reports are saying that the smaller american (the gobby trouble maker) is flying to Saudi Arabia next wednesday to sell his share of the club.
Has this guy got a similar pile of cash to the Man City owner? If so, maybe it will be Messi and David Villa in January..... and the league title in May ?!!
Yawn, where are the Saints in the football league? Oh yeah, bottom of league one.
More points than pompey this season AND they've got more money! Saints are on their way back up dont you worry, maybe not this season but next season Saints V Pompey in the league will be back on!
Dream on, they be lucky not to drop again this season. You've played 4 more games than we have. Pompey are 4 points from safety, Saints are 6. I hope Saints do survive and eventually rise up to the Premiership. But as Leeds have proved, it is not easy. Not sure you are richer than us or not, but your chairman hasn't exactly been flashing the cash.
lol! saints started minus 10 and are starting to look good!
theres no way saints are going down, and theres no need to splash the cash at the moment when theyve got the best manager, goalkeeper, centre back (possibly better than the centre backs in the championship too) and the best strikers in the league! saints have stability now and a decent run could see them near the play offs.
pompey need a new team not to get relegated theyre gonna loose david james in january as well!
James isn't going anywhere. All paper and Harry talk ahead of the game Sat.
Manager - ask his previous clubs and see if they agree check your 606 board. Goalkeeper and central defender are that great I have never heard of them. There are some very good teams in your league, hence why you have struggled up until now. Saints have had stability before the season started, your 12 games in now. Pompey have had stability for a little over a week. Our squad is a good squad. Dindane is a strong attacker, Tommy Smith a workaholic, Boateng pure class, O'Hara strong, Kaboul masterful, James England's no 1. The team gel, and all commentators (Premiership) have said beautiful and classy the football we play is. We don't want a new team, we like what we have, just look to strengthen it more. And now we have Grant to assist Hart too.
Both teams will be on a run now, and sure South Coast teams doing well is what we want. Not the elite of the top 4.
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