China online gaming tycoon in talks to buy Liverpool

[Ginchiyo Tachibana]

China online gaming tycoon in talks to buy Liverpool: report
Posted: 12 May 2010 1558 hrs <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="260"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" width="20"></td> <td align="right" width="240">

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SHANGHAI: A Chinese Internet gaming tycoon has confirmed he is in talks to buy British football club Liverpool, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.

Zhu Jun, chairman of Nasdaq-listed online game company The9 Limited, said the negotiations to buy Liverpool were "ongoing", but added that the outcome was hard to predict, the Beijing Times reported.

Officials at Shanghai-based The9 said they could not immediately confirm the comments when contacted by AFP.

Zhu, who already owns Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, has held two preliminary meetings with Barclays Capital, the investment bank hired to handle the sale, Britain's Independent newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

Chairman of debt-ridden Liverpool Martin Broughton, who is also chief of British Airways, is looking for a new buyer to replace the club's American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who have owned the club since 2007.

Accounts released this month showed Liverpool posted an operating loss before tax of 16 million pounds (23 million dollars) in the year ending July 31, 2009.

The 800 million-pound price tag circulated among potential bidders has deterred many potential investors while Zhu is among those willing to buy the club at a "decent" price, the Independent said, citing unnamed sources.

A number of possible investors have been linked with the Anfield outfit, including former Syria international footballer Yahya Kirdi. - AFP/fa

 

[elephanto]

A lot depends on this Chairman who is reputed to be a smartass.

That he is well connected is not the issue, more importantly, is he crafty enough to know how to prise Liverpool away from the greedy Yanks ?

If he doesn't know how to press the Americans' buttons, he is merely wasting his time running hard for them to raise their demands higher & higher.

He must know how vulnerable these greedy blokes are beneath their surface riches... but since these 2 fuckers have loaded the debt to the club, it seems the club must bleed financially before the owners wake up & settle for a more realistic selling price.

The yankees are looking for an obscene profit.

The Chairman must play his cards well to get his mission accomplished.

I do not forsee a smooth path ahead, lots of red herrings & false flags....

very very sad for Liverpool to end up like that.

This is worse than going public which was the trend for EPL clubs in the 90s.

 

[jw5]

Maybe Broughton should just get Roman Abramovich to buy Liverpool and integrate it with Chelsea.
The new club shall be known as Liversea.

 

[Soul_Reaper]

Maybe Broughton should just get Roman Abramovich to buy Liverpool and integrate it with Chelsea.
The new club shall be known as Liversea.

I wonder why would a lifelong Chelsea supporter take on the post of Chairman of Liverpool FC?

 

[M.Bison]

Former Liverpool owner regrets sale to Hicks, Gillett


Former Liverpool owner regrets sale to Hicks, Gillett
Posted: 26 May 2010 2224 hrs <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="260"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" width="20"></td> <td align="right" width="240">

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Liverpool football Club owners George Gillett (L) and Tom Hicks </td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td class="update"></td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>
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LONDON: Former Liverpool owner David Moores has called on George Gillett and Tom Hicks to accept their part in the Reds' struggles after admitting he regretted selling the Premier League club to the Americans.

Moores sold Liverpool to Gillett and Hicks in 2007 after several failed attempts to offload the club to other richer investors.

The American duo have endured a miserable time at Anfield as they have fallen out with both Liverpool's fans and each other, failed to complete the building of a new stadium in Stanley Park and given only limited financial backing to boss Rafael Benitez - resulting in a woeful seventh-placed finish in the Premier League this season.

In a letter to The Times, Moores insisted he sold the club to Gillett and Hicks in good faith - following assurances about their financial status - but accepted "honest mistakes" were made despite him acting "in the best interests of the club".

The lifelong Reds fan admitted, however, he "hugely regrets selling the club" to the pair.

In his letter, Moores said their offer "was laid out in unambiguous terms ... the document pledged there would be no debt placed upon the club, and significant funds would be made available for investment in the squad and the new stadium.

"I call upon them to stand back, accept their role in the club's current demise, and stand aside with dignity." - AFP/fa