BANGKOK, March 16: Billionaire Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is expected to clinch a deal soon for a 25 percent stake in English premier league club Liverpool, his adviser said on Tuesday.
"The prospect looks quite good because we do not seek a controlling interest and we do not seek to take over the club," said Thawatchai Satchakul, who advised Thaksin in his failed pursuit of Fulham last year.
"All we want is to use it as a springboard for talented Thai and Asian soccer players to go international," he told Reuters. Thawatchai, manager of the Thai national soccer team, said the only pending issue in talks with representatives of Liverpool chairman David Moores was the price Thaksin and other Thai investors would pay.
"They say the price we are offering to pay is too low and we say the price at which they are willing to sell is too high," Thawatchai said. "They have not turned us down, only saying they'll consider it. I think it should be between two and five billion baht," ($50-125 million) he said.
Moores has a 51 percent share in the club, estimated to be worth about 40 million pounds ($72.8 million). His family built up the successful Little woods football pools and store chain and has had a controlling interest in the English club for 50 years.
Thaksin was also seeking an assurance from Liverpool that the club would set up a football academy in Thailand once he agreed to buy a stake in it. "It would not be difficult for the prime minister to raise the money. In his position, he has the means to attract other investors," he said.
Thaksin, a former policeman who made his fortune in telecommunications, revealed his interest in buying a stake in Liverpool in February after his bid for fellow premier league club Fulham failed last year. Thai media have reported that Thai beer baron Charoen Sirivadhanab hakdi was also keen on joining Thaksin in the bid for a stake in Liverpool. -Reuters
