Liverpool bid will not 'enrich owners'

Soccer:A key member of the Chinese consortium bidding to buy Liverpool says their approach is in the best interests of the club and insists it will not deliver a profit to the American owners. Marc Ganis, whose Chicago-based company Sportscorp Ltd has emerged as a partner to Chinese  businessman Kenny Huang, says the "broad parameters" of their plan submitted to the club were "welcomed".

Guang Yang, a senior investment-fund manager with Franklin Templeton and partner of Huang in his company QSL Sports, is also part of the bid. It is thought he and Huang would take an active role in the running of the club, and that the Chinese Investment Corporation (CIC), the country's sovereign wealth fund, would be a “passive” stakeholder.

"We haven't submitted a formal proposal but we submitted the broad parameters of what a proposal would look like to see if it would be welcomed, and it was," said Ganis today. "What is not one of our goals is the enrichment of the existing owners.

"If we submit a proposal and it is accepted, it would be focused on the future and not the past."

Ganis added that substantial money would be available to the club. "Liverpool is and always should be one of the highest-spending clubs in all of football. And our financial models presume Liverpool will be at or near the top in spending on players every year."

He has also moved to reassure current members of the board, other than the owners, that the consortium does not envisage major changes at executive level.

"From what we have seen from afar, many of the people currently running Liverpool are doing a good job," he said. "There shouldn't be an expectation there would be a mass upheaval if we submit and we are approved."

This reassurance could be key to persuading managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre to vote in favour of their proposals.

Should they and chairman Martin Broughton support the takeover in the boardroom, Hicks and Gillett would have no choice but to accede, given they would be outnumbered three to two.

Ganis insists the pair is unlikely to see a profit if their approach succeeds. Hicks has said he wants a minimum €723 million for Liverpool with the debt standing at around €421 million.

Ganis, though, said his consortium would not bid close to that sum, leaving the door ajar for other investors to pip them to the post.

Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi looks a contender with his consortium of investors from the Middle East and Canada, who have claimed they are close to completing a takeover.

"If anybody wants to (bid that sum), good luck," said Ganis, who is yet to reveal how much his group are willing to invest.

"We know what we would be prepared to do. If somebody else wants to look at it in a different way, it's their money. That would be their business, not ours."

Manager Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, looks to have added Denmark international Christian Poulsen to his squad after his agent revealed talks in Liverpool went well.

The Reds are thought to have targeted a move for Juventus midfielder Poulsen as a direct replacement for wantaway star Javier Mascherano.

Juve are believed to be willing to offload Poulsen as he does not figure in new coach Luigi Del Neri's long-term plans.

Poulsen's represetative, Jorn Bonnesen told Ekstra Bladettoday: "It won't take more than a week before this is sorted out.

"It might be already in the beginning of next week. Christian Poulsen is Roy's man.

"He will be playing as defensive midfielder at Liverpool. I returned home with a good and positive impression."