Liverpool owners reject £2 billion bid
LONDON: Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group insisted on Friday the Premier League club is not for sale after details emerged of a failed £2 billion takeover bid from a cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour.
Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that Abu Dhabibased Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan approached the club over several months in late 2017 and into early 2018.
He then made the £2 billion offer that would have been the most expensive takeover in the history of the game.
Liverpool — 18-time English champions — said the club was still open to new outside investment but is not for sale. Britain’s Press Association said it understood that the interest — one of a number of approaches FSG have received in recent years — did not get past the vetting stage because it was deemed neither credible nor worthy of being put to the ownership.
HENRY FEVER GRIPS FRANCE
Paris:thierry Henry is the name on everybody’s lips in France with the Arsenal legend tipped to return to his home country as the next coach of Bordeaux.
The south-western club’s start to the season has been marred by a public row between Uruguayan coach Gustavo Poyet and the board over transfers.
Poyet, who took over in January and led Bordeaux to European qualification, was suspended for a week and now looks set to be shown the door. In the meantime, media reports in France say Henry, 41, is keen on the idea of succeeding Poyet at a club who are set to be taken over by American investors.
MOURINHO DENIES RIFT WITH WOODWARD
MANCHESTER: Jose Mourinho on Friday denied a rift with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward despitegrowingspeculationover the power structure at Manchester United.
The manager turned up for his weekly pre-match press conference 30 minutes early, ensuring most reporters were not even in attendance, and was clearly in no mood to answer questions about United’s difficult start to the season. But Mourinho, at least, claimed that his relationship with Woodward remained intact. When asked if his relationship with Woodward was “fine” Mourinho would only answer: “Of course”.