Liverpool refinancing deal all but sealed — now to win back the fans

LIVERPOOL’S American owners have again delayed an announcement of a successful refinancing deal but an agreement should be made public today or Monday.

Co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are on the verge of sealing a £350million (€467m) package and had been expected to announce yesterday that it had gone through.

There are no serious hitches however and it is understood the deal is all but signed off, and the announcement will include details of the chosen design for a new stadium at Stanley Park.

Of the £350m, more than £160m (€214m) will be debt tied to Liverpool and around £190m (€254m) covered by Hicks and Gillett’s guarantees.

The money includes £105m (€140m) new cash for the club — £65m (€87m) to kick-start work on the new stadium, and a further sum of £45m (€60) of working capital, including money for player acquisitions. The remainder is the existing debt the Americans inherited when they took over the club a year ago.

Hicks and Gillett are insisting however that the other £190m in the refinancing package — to cover their initial cost of buying the club — will not be loaded onto Liverpool.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry and former chairman David Moores, now a board member, have made it clear they oppose any of the takeover debt being loaded onto the club.

Now that doubts over the refinancing deal have evaporated, the Americans — particularly Hicks — face a struggle to win back the fans, not to mention manager Rafael Benitez.

Supporters staged protests against the owners at Anfield on Monday night, sparked by Hicks’ revelation that he had sounded out Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible successor for Benitez.

The supporters will also be watching carefully to see what happens to any profits Liverpool make — will they be used to service the club’s debt or will a dividend be paid to the Americans’ company Kop Holdings to service their debt?

Meanwhile, chances of Dubai Investment Capital (DIC) taking over Liverpool in the near future seem dead in the water.

It is understood Hicks spoke at length to DIC about selling up to them but they were unwilling to match his asking price.