The £470m takeover of Liverpool by American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks could be completed on Tuesday.
The pair, who both own rival ice hockey teams in the NHL, could make an offer to the Stock Exchange, having beaten off competition from Dubai International Capital.
Hicks and Gillett will split the cost of the deal, paying about £175m for the shares in the club, £80m to cover the exisiting debt and a further £215m towards the cost of building a new stadium.
It was the inclusion in the deal of Hicks, the owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, which proved pivotal to the bid’s success. There had been fears that Gillett would prefer a joint stadium bid with local rivals Everton, but the involvement of Hicks, who has built up a reputation for developing state-of-the-art stadia for his teams, swung the balance in favour of the Americans.
Gillett and Hicks have worked together in the past on the board of a major United States meat-processing firm.
Their idea to take over Liverpool became a reality after they discussed the proposition at the NHL All-Star Game last week
Liverpool will become the third Premiership side to come under the control of American owners, following the takeovers of Manchester United and Aston Villa in recent years.
