Liverpool keep quiet over Thai link

Liverpool have refused to comment on a newspaper report claiming that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to buy a 30% stake in the club.

The Sunday Express reports that Shinawatra will sign a deal tomorrow after agreeing to invest £65m (€97.7m) in the club.

Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Commerce, Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, is quoted as saying: “We will sign the contracts with Liverpool’s representatives on Monday, although the place is not yet known.

“I also want to assure you that the money comes from the Prime Minister himself – not from public funds.

“Mr Thaksin is determined to raise the standards of Thai football once the signing is complete.”

The deal would involve the establishment of a Liverpool academy in Bangkok and increase the club’s commercial opportunities in Asia.

BBC Radio Five Live, however, reports the club will not be commenting on the story today.