Following in the footsteps of Manchester City who recently bought 80% of Melbourne Heart, Liverpool is set to strike up a similar deal with their city rivals Melbourne Victory.
Talks were held at the weekend between Victory Chairman Anthony Di Pietro and Liverpool officials and it is very likely that the deal will be confirmed in the near future. It is also rumoured that Di Pietro was at the Hawthorns to see Liverpool draw 1-1 with West Brom.
The relationship between the two clubs was strengthened last July when they took part in a friendly in Melbourne, which saw over 95,000 Liverpool fans give an unforgettable rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone at the notorious Melbourne Cricket Ground. Liverpool went on to win the game 2-0 courtesy of goals from Steven Gerrard and Iago Aspas.
Last month, Melbourne Heart received $12 million Australian Dollars for the sale of their 80% stake to Manchester City, however Victory will be seeking in excess of $20 million from Liverpool, due to the fact that they are the largest football franchise in Australia.
The future of Australian football is continuing to look more and more promising and with the prospect of both Manchester City and Liverpool providing these Melbourne rivals with a wealth of experience and expertise it may not be long before it can challenge Aussie Rules and Rugby League in the popularity stakes amongst the Australian locals.
Source: DSG
