New Bid For Liverpool - 26/09/2004

A third bid for Liverpool has emerged from two US-based entertainment executives with Hollywood links. Mike Jeffries and Stuart Ford have Merseyside roots and state that they have started talks with the club with a view to putting together a £100m deal. They have denied that the bid is a publicity stunt (Jeffries is currently producing Goal, a $100m football feature film trilogy to be released next year). It is understood that other overseas investors, possibly including Australian interests, would be involved in the projected bid. The duo ultimately want complete control, but might be prepared to consider a two-staged arrangement giving them a minority stake in the first instance. They would like to keep current chairman, David Moores, whose family has a 51.6 per cent stake, involved in the club. The two men claim that they are fed up with seeing kids wearing Manchester United shirts everywhere in the world and want the club to pursue a more aggressive international commercial strategy. The consortium led by GMM Grammy, Thailand's largest music company, might yet come up with a bid for the 30 per cent stake open to them.