Football Talk - Lim makes rival Liverpool bid - 12/10/10
Singapore billionaire Peter Lim has increased his offer to buy Liverpool to £320million, and is offering to inject £40million into Roy Hodgson's January transfer kitty.
The club's current co-owners are attempting to block the club's proposed sale to John W Henry's New England Sports Ventures company by claiming Liverpool's chairman Martin Broughton did not have the legal authority to broker a deal. Hicks and Gillett favour Lim's offer as it would reduce the huge financial loss the Americans are set to incur and the 57-year-old has renewed his attempts to take charge of the club.
"The offer values the club at £320 million pounds. A further £40 million pounds will be made available to purchase new players," said a statement issued by his publicists. "The new offer is entirely in cash and will remove the entire acquisition debt of £200 million pounds taken on by the existing owners that has cast uncertainty over the club's future."
A spokesman for Tulchan PR, representing Lim in London added: "Mr Lim hopes the case results in a chance for him to be able to present an offer to the club and have it given a fair hearing." Lim, whose previous bid for Liverpool was rejected in favour of New England's, has an estimated net worth of $1.6bn (£1bn), according to Forbes magazine.
Mr Lim himself commented: "The club needs to strengthen its existing squad. As part of this offer, I will be injecting £40million in cash into the club for Roy Hodgson to bring in new players during the upcoming transfer window. Liverpool needs to start winning again.
"I respect and admire Liverpool Football Club, which is steeped in tradition and history. I am committed to rebuild the club so that it can soon regain its position at the pinnacle of English and European football, where it truly belongs. This is why I have stepped forward with this offer."
