India’s richest man to take over Liverpool… or not
Mukesh Ambani – worth a few bob
Merseyside will be split right down the middle today, information-wise. On one side of town, The Times readers will be nattering in local wine bars about this new mega-rich Indian businessman who looks set to take over Anfield. Whilst pavement cafes all over Europe’s most cultured city will be crammed with Telegraph intellectuals lamenting his decision not to bother.
Even some households will be ripped apart by this contrasting broadsheet information. Him still in bed, face in The Times. Her scrubbing the front step, whilst a neighbour reads out The Telegraph. It’s mixed messages alright.
The word from The Times is that Mukesh Ambani – India’s richest man, who deals in petrochemicals – has targeted a possible takeover of Liverpool, with figures flying around suggesting that he’d pay off £237million of debt in return for 51 per cent of the club.
Whilst The Telegraph has already reported that a spokeswoman for Ambani’s company, Reliance Industries, has said this:
“There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely.”
Either way, pressure has been put on Hicks and Gillett to sort out the financial mess – with at least £100million targeted to pay off, as well as funds urged to be put into the club by the Americans, from their own pockets – but the word on the street is that neither would accept a bid for over 50 per cent of the club, unless one of them was bought out.
Something about their seething hatred of one another suggests that this could turn into an old man’s shoving competition.
Ambani is reportedly worth around £12.5billion – more than Man City’s robed gentlemen and Chelsea’s Russian put together – and he already owns the Mumbai Indians, who are part of cricket’s IPL. But a more likely contender for Anfield’s boardroom throne is reported to be the Sahara Group chairman, Subrata Roy, who has stepped in with a similar bid.
One of his spokespeople said this:
“We are presently not in a position to comment.”
A rather more positive/foggy response.
Keep an eye on this, Merseyside. A big eye.
Leave a comment