Source: Daily_Mail
Kop chaos! Liverpool co-owner Hicks won't budge on £200m-plus Saudi deal
Tom Hicks is set to step up his power battle with fellow Liverpool owner George Gillett by rejecting an initial investment proposal from a billionaire Saudi prince. [LNB]Hicks is expected to turn down a £200m-plus offer to buy 50 per cent of the shares in the club from Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, who sat beside Gillett at Anfield on Saturday to watch Liverpool's 6-1 thrashing of Hull. [LNB] Liverpool co-owner George Gillett (left) watches the 6-1 win over Hull City on Saturday alongside Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah[LNB]It is the latest twist in an unseemly scramble between Hicks and Gillett to find backers willing to make an offer the other cannot refuse. [LNB]Hicks has been scouring the Middle East while Gillett thinks he has seized the initiative by courting Prince Faisal, who is the boss of investment company F6. [LNB] Hot property: Fernando Torres (right) stole the show on Saturday[LNB]The Prince told Al Riyadh newspaper: 'We're seeking to buy 50 per cent of the shares in the club, which is suffering debts of £245m. The transaction, on which a decision is close, will be worth between £200m and £350m.'[LNB]But Liverpool insiders played down suggestions a deal may be imminent,while sources close to Hicks claimed he was not about to sell hisstake, despite being aware of the Prince's Anfield visit. [LNB]Not budging: Tom Hicks[LNB]Prince Faisal was officially there to rubberstamp an initiative to build a Liverpool academy in his home country. He witnessed the depth of animosity towards Gillett and Hicks, as hundreds of fans demonstrated against them outside the main entrance before kick-off and many in the Kop unfurled banners calling for the pair to sell up. [LNB]Prince Faisal will find Hicks in no mood to concede defeat to his fellow American. Relations have thawed after their fall-out and refusal to speak last year, but Hicks will dig his heels in over the value of his stake. [LNB]It is understood he may be prepared to sell, but it would have to be significantly nearer the top end of the wide range mentioned yesterday. [LNB]Gillett received a £360m windfall from the sale of his Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, but Hicks has always seemed the more pro-active decision-maker after pushing through manager Rafa Benitez's contract extension and bringing in Christian Purslow as managing director for outgoing chief executive Rick Parry. [LNB]He is expected to stand firm in the face of renewed pressure from Gillett to make way. [LNB]A spokesman for the Prince's holding company, Fama, said: 'What I know is that the Prince attended the game and signed an agreement with Liverpool yesterday to build a sports academy in Saudi Arabia.'[LNB] Sign on the dotted line: Gillett looks on as Prince Faisal signs a document at Anfield, reported to be in relation to the building of a sports academy in Saudi Arabia[LNB] Liverpool 6 Hull 1: Fernando Torres... is this the only man who can stop Manchester United?Liverpool targeted by Saudi prince: Middle Eastern investor seeks 50 per cent stake in Anfield club for £350m STEVEN GERRARD EXCLUSIVE: The trial changed me. It was frightening; I will never celebrate in a bar again - the Liverpool and England star at his most frank40 Euro ties hit by bets scam as UEFA probes Champions League match-fixingLIVERPOOL FC
