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New Liverpool Fc Owner

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

From Liverpool FC - South African Supporters:

Saudi TV are reporting that Prince Faisal Khaled will buy a stake in the club.

The reports state that the deal will be finalised today at the Hull game. The Prince will apparently be there at the game.

The deal also includes marketing the club in the Middle East. The Prince owns the Sports Investment company FX.

This is apparently the YouTube clip where he is being interviewed via phone. Can't understand Arabic so for those who can, you can make up your own mind.

The gist of the interview:

1) They agreed on two Liverpool academies to be built in Saudi Arabia. They will be in the biggest western and eastern cities in the nation.

2) They are in final stages of concluding negotiations and reaching an agreement for the prince to buy a share of Liverpool ranging between 25-50% of the club

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

Saudi prince reveals investment deal is close
By Soccernet staff

September 27, 2009
A Saudi prince has revealed that he is set to make a significant investment in an English side, amid reports that Liverpool's owners are prepared to sell a 50% stake in the club.

Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah has been linked with a bid, in order to help balance the books at Anfield, as Liverpool are experiencing financial difficulties under the ownership of American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"We are currently seeking to buy 50% of the shares in the club which is now suffering with debts worth £245 million, " Fahd bin Abdullah, who chairs private firm F6 and a Saudi-based holding firm called Fama Group, was quoted as saying in Al-Riyadh.

"The transaction, upon which a decision is close to be reached, will be worth 200 to 350 million pounds. "

A spokesman for Fama has declined to comment on the matter, but it appears that the Premier League could be set to welcome further money from the Middle East after the success of the Dubai-based takeover of Manchester City

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

Saudi prince wants 50 pct of Liverpool FC

* Reuters, Sunday September 27 2009

Riyadh, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A Saudi prince is prepared to spend up to 350 million pounds ($558 million) to buy a 50 percent stake in English soccer club Liverpool, Al-Riyadh newspaper quoted him as saying on Sunday.

"We are currently seeking to buy 50 percent of the shares in the club which is now suffering of debts worth 245 million pounds, " Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, who chairs private firm F6 and a Saudi-based holding firm called Fama Group, was quoted as saying. "The transaction, upon which a decision is close to be reached, will be worth 200 (million) to 350 million pounds, " he said, according to the newspaper.

A Fama spokesman declined to comment. "What I know is that the prince attended the Liverpool game against Hull and signed yesterday an agreement with Liverpool to build a sport academy in Saudi Arabia, " the spokesman said.

No-one at Liverpool, which beat Hull 6-1 to move to third position in the English Premier League, could immediately be reached for comment.

Over the past few years, investors from Gulf Arab countries have shown growing interest in acquiring soccer clubs, mainly in the English Premier League, which culminated last year in the acquisition of Manchester City by Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG).

Liverpool has been at the centre of this interest after its American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett said in January they were in talks to sell the club for 500 million pounds, including debt, to a group of investors from the region. [ID:nLA534957]Before that, UAE-based Dubai International Capital vied in 2007 for a stake in Liverpool. Liverpool is England's most successful club with 18 English league titles and five European Cup triumphs.

Last year, Forbes Magazine estimated Liverpool to be worth $1 billion, excluding debt, placing it as the fourth-most valuable football team in the world after Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by David Holmes)

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

That's LFC future owner. A mean looking fella, the one with loads of cash to spend. Finally if this go through LFC will have the new stadium, will buy Silva, Lennon, Ribery, Villa or anyone Rafa wants

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

Ant (Liverpool) 3 years ago

I had heard something about this. One of the problems is that Gillett and Hicks are notorious jerks who signed an agreement that both must approve if either one wants to sell their share. So if Gillett wants to sell his, Hicks must agree. Of course, then they fell out so badly they didn't even want to talk.

The two current owners need to pack up and ship out. They didn't understand that they weren't just buying an asset like a factory, they were buying a living breathing football club, with a hundred years and more of history. Passionate fans, a massive success rate and a thirst for winning. Whoever takes over Liverpool needs to appreciate that.

Either that or have billions in the bank

ImnotWalkinAlon (Liverpool) 3 years ago

I got this from another forum:

This is what our friend SMTM has to say on TIA:

Right guys & gals,

I have spoken with a contact inside Merrill this morning & have been told this.

George Gillett is trying to sell his shares lock, stock & barrel. George Gillett has apparently been in discussions with Prince Faisal for the last four months. While Gillett was flirting with Prince Faisal, Tom Hicks was flirting with Majid Saif Al Ghurair.

What is still unclear & is probably the most important issue of all is – Is George Gillett still restrained in what he can do with regards to his 50% of the club? The people I have spoken with say he has more freedom to do what he chooses, but there are still restrictions present. For instance – if Gillett wants to sell he can, but he has to offer his shares to Tom Hicks for the price he would be getting from Prince Faisal.

So basically if Prince Faisal offers Gillett 350M for his 50% of the club – Gillett has got to offer that 50% of the club to Hicks for the same 350M.

That’s where all this gets messy. I asked the question to this chap at Merrill; what is the likelihood of Tom Hicks being able to buy up George Gillett’s shares for the price Prince Faisal offers & he categorically said “none mate. ”

He said that Hicks does want out, but as ever for the right price, but Hicks’ doesn’t see 350M as a fair price for his 50%. He wants more. It was suggested to me he wants 50m-75m more to let go of his shares & that comes from people who are working for Hicks.

Hicks’ people are aware Prince Faisal is offering Gillett bucket loads of sweeteners in a different venture altogether – introducing nascar to the Middle East.

You also have to bear in mind - 350M won't be the price both men get real terms in the bank because the debt levels will be negotiated into the price. But a seriously big profit will be made by both men.

So as things look stand it looks this way to me.

George Gillett is very close to, if he has not already agreed a fee to sell to this Prince Faisal.

Tom Hicks is not happy, but it seems unless he can raise the same amount Prince Faisal offers, he has no choice but to accept Gillett’s sale to the Prince Faisal. (Also, if by any miracle Tom Hicks could raise the money Prince Faisal is offering, do expect Prince Faisal to up the offer until it is impossible for Hicks to match it.)

At the same time Hicks is still speaking with Majid Saif Al Ghurair about the possibility of relinquishing a percent of his shares, but the outstanding bit of news is he planned to do that along side George Gillett. My friend told me that Hicks had been in regular contact with George Gillett about the Majid Saif Al Ghurair plan & he thought it was a goer – unaware, as we all were Gillett was all along speaking to Prince Faisal.

So as things stand Tom Hicks’ plan that would see both Hicks & Gillett give up a percentage of shares to Majid Saif Al Ghurair is dead in the water. It could only have been done if both men had agreed.

Where does that leave Tom Hicks?

Well, he still has his half of the club at the end of the day. But by all accounts Prince Faisal is an aggressive mother fricker & he will do all he can to firstly, try & make Tom Hicks sell up & if he can’t do that I was told that things could turn into an Arsenal-esque situation.

I happen to think Tom Hicks will sell, but it will mean Prince Faisal has to pay more than what he is offering George Gillett because it makes no sense to me Prince Faisal coming in if he is in exactly the same situation as Hicks & Gillett currently are.

But as always time is the key & as I’ve said umpteen times before – things cannot go on indefinitely, but it does now seem a real possibility that our new owner will be Prince Faisal.

How long it takes for him to gain complete control is another question altogether.

The smart money would be on this all being done very quickly