LFC ECHO: Chinese takeover bid for Liverpool – report
| Liverpool's Senegalese midfielder Sadio Mane (R) scores Liverpool's fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 14, 2016. Photo: Lee MILLS / AFP |
Premier League giants Liverpool are the target of an 800
million pounds ($1 billion, 924 million euros) takeover bid backed by
the Chinese government, British newspaper the Sunday Times reported.
China Everbright, a state-backed financial firm, are
leading the bid, backed by the country’s main sovereign wealth fund, the
China Investment Corporation (CIC), the paper said.
Talks between the Chinese group and Liverpool’s American
owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are ongoing, the Sunday Times
said.
But a senior Liverpool source told AFP that although the
club was open to outside investment, FSG was not in talks and the club
was not the subject of a bid.
On Friday, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said the club was
“not for sale”, but admitted FSG were open to the idea of selling a
stake.
FSG bought Liverpool for around 300 million pounds in 2010.
China has been making inroads in English football in recent months.
Earlier this month, Liverpool’s Premier League rivals West
Bromwich Albion announced a deal to sell the club to a Chinese
investment group headed by entrepreneur Guochuan Lai.
Second-tier clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers,
both of whom play in the same Midlands region as West Brom, have both
been taken over by Chinese investors.
Wolves were bought by Fosun International, while Chinese businessman Tony Xia took charge of Villa.
Birmingham City, another Midlands clubs, are currently in
talks with Asian investors seeking to buy the club from Hong Kong
businessman Carson Yeung, who was jailed for money-laundering in 2014.
Meanwhile, Manchester City announced a 265 million pounds investment deal with Chinese consortium CMC last December.
Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, were beaten 2-0 at
Burnley in their second league game of the season on Saturday, having
won 4-3 at Arsenal in their opening fixture.
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