A consortium planning to buy Liverpool have revealed that they expect to complete a takeover of the club by June if their bid is accepted by George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
Fronted by former Wall Street stockbroker Kenneth Huang, the Chinese group is understood to be scouring the Reds' books as part of a period of due diligence.
Gillett and Hicks have valued the Anfield outfit between £500million and £800million after officially putting the club up for sale last week.
British Airways chief Martin Broughton, installed as the club's non-executive chairman, has insisted that deals will not be negotiated through the press and that any potential investors will only be successful if they commit to building a new stadium in Stanley Park.
However Huang has revealed that he was approached by Liverpool representatives two years ago at the Singapore Grand Prix who quoted a valuation of $1billion, and that a deal could be completed by mid-June despite continuing interest from the Middle East.
He said: "I was first approached [about buying Liverpool] in 2008 when I was in Singapore attending a Formula One Grand Prix, but the asking price was US$1billion.
"It was totally unreasonable so I turned it down. The asking price has dropped significantly and we are talking again.
"Negotiations have taken place over the last few months and we are at a crucial stage.
"I really hope it turns out to be a successful bid. Right now my audit team is examining the books and my legal team is in close contact with theirs. We have a fierce competitor in the Middle East, but it could be finalised in June."
Rafael Benitez's agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, last week revealed that a bid from the Far East was imminent and Huang has given his backing to the under-fire Kop boss if his consortium's bid is accepted by the Americans.
"I want Liverpool to win the Champions League and Premier League and I think Benitez is a very good coach," he added.
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jordan (liverpool fan), liverpool around 1 year, 7 months ago