Liverpool deny India takeover reports

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi/ Liverpool: English club Liverpool FC have quashed aside reports of majority takeover by India’s richest man Mukes Ambani. Earlier newspaper reports tipped the seventh richest man in the world, Mukesh Ambani, to be in contention alongside another tycoon from the Indian sub-continent for a takeover of Liverpool, according to The Times. It is claimed that Ambani`s Reliance Industries and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy have each tabled bids to wipe out the club`s debt of £237 million in exchange for a 51 per cent stake in the club, despite the club`s chief executive Christian Purslow denying any knowledge of an impending takeover. Ambani, 52, who owns Reliance Industries, had his personal wealth valued by Forbes in November 2009 at $32 billion [£20.5bn], which would dwarf the combined wealth of both Chelsea sponsor Roman Abramovich and Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour. The more serious bid, though, is believed to be from Roy, who failed in an attempt to sponsor Manchester United`s shirts last year. Despite the alleged interest, Reliance have issued a statement denying the reports concerning pointing toward a an investment in the Merseyside club. "There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely," said Reliance spokeswoman Sudeep Purkayastha. Meanwhile, the Sahara group neither confirmed nor denied lodging a bid to prise the Kop club away from its American owners. A spokesperson for Sahara, Abhijit Sarkar, said: "We are presently not in a position to comment." (With inputs from Goal.com)