Liverpool have reportedly held preliminary takeover talks with financier Amanda Staveley – and fans have taken to Twitter to deliver mixed verdicts.
Sunday Mirror claim that Staveley, who has strong links to billionaires in the Middle East, made initial soundings about the club’s availability last Sunday.
Staveley runs PCP Capital Partners, a fund with global assets of more than £28billion, and watched from the stands as Liverpool draw 1-1 at Newcastle United eight days ago.
The 44-year-old has made previous attempts to acquire the Mersey giants and was involved with Dubai investors in takeover attempts in 2007 which were ultimately aborted.
Staveley was also instrumental in Sheikh Mansour’s purchase of Manchester City in 2008 and knows that Liverpool is on the radar of the Middle East billionaires anxious to invest in a leading English club.
The Sunday Mirror report that Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group have slapped a £1billion asking price on the club they bought for £300million seven years ago.
Liverpool fans are divided as to whether a new owner would be to the benefit of the club, with some claiming Staveley could help bring more money into the club and help it compete for the highest honours.
Others are more dubious and claim her supposed interest is just a publicity-seeking exercise.
This Is Futbol has rounded up some of the best tweets:
Let’s hope the Amanda Staveley story is true we would be another PSG and Man City. read her profile on Wiki all I see are billions #LFC
— Lord Mars (@iam_johnmars) October 8, 2017
Any publicity is good publicity #staveley #fsg #lfc #ynwa
— Rob Smith (@RobSmith_ynwa) October 9, 2017
Amanda Staveley thinking: “NUFC plays negative football, zero quality & #LFC can’t defend or finish, how to sell these clubs to investors?” pic.twitter.com/6cNhEsvOlz
— Liverpoolzy (@luzhenyuan) October 9, 2017
Staveley is circling again, just what #LFC want right now
— R O S S T ? L B O T (@rosstalbot) October 8, 2017
Staveley’s involvement in buying #LFC isn’t new. She nearly got it done 2008, only for Hicks to reject the offer: https://t.co/NlfphgI8iA pic.twitter.com/0CUY45vc9G
— Podcasting Couch???? (@PodcastingCouch) October 8, 2017
If Amanda Staveley and co. somehow pulled off a purchase of #LFC would they change the name of Anfield? That would be tough to accept tbh.
— Kaiser Von Der KOP (@andrewkendall16) October 8, 2017
It’s hilarious that the masses just love our generous American owners yet they’re lossing their heads over Amanda Staveley nonsense #LFC
— G Dog (@GHL72) October 7, 2017