Some common sense at last...
LIVERPOOL'S American owners have slashed their asking price for the club in half to flush out new buyers.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr will now accept a £100million equity sale for as much 50 per cent of the shares at Anfield.
That is a massive drop from the £400m for a total buy-out they were earlier pursuing.
The Americans had wanted to raise funds by selling a 25 per cent stake for £100m but club sources have acknowledged that was a non-starter as interested parties want a controlling interest.
A new buyer would still have to commit another £300m longer- term to build the club a new 60,000-seater stadium at Stanley Park.
But the drastic shift of the Americans' position has created a new sense of optimism that a tumultuous era in the club's history is finally coming to an end.
In another departure from the talks held with Dubai International Capital in 2008, any money pumped into the club through a share issue would reduce the club's debt rather than go into the owners' pockets.
Hicks had earlier maintained he was looking for a 'minority investor' but the landscape has changed.
Both Hicks and Gillett are more willing to dilute their holdings to around 25 per cent each to allow a senior partner to end their ill-fated partnership.
Liverpool are hoping there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel, although serious questions remain both on and off the pitch.
The future of manager Rafa Benitez is less secure than ever following his frank admission he's 'proud' to be wanted by Juventus.
The stadium issue is also complicated, with Liverpool playing down recent claims building work will restart in April, and unable to confirm with which design they'll proceed until investment arrives.
Liverpool, the FA and the government have been urged to clarify the situation regarding the plans on Stanley Park by Labour MP, Peter Kilfoyle, whose constituency includes the Anfield area.
He's written to Liverpool FC managing Director Christian Purslow, FA President Lord Triesman and Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe demanding "an unequivocal commitment by Liverpool FC to begin building a new stadium on the basis of the existing approved plannings and a date for when building will seriously commence".
Liverpool have planning permission for two different schemes for a 60,000 stadium.
Hicks' favoured architect team is Dallas-based HKS, but Gillett has historically resisted their proposals as too expensive. Only last week he underlined the continued division in the boardroom when he claimed Liverpool may need to make a fresh planning application before work begins. That implied a THIRD design for the Stanley Park project would be put forward, but it is not a view shared by the rest of the board.
Liverpool hope new investors will seek to merely tweak the current HKS proposals to reduce further costs, rather than abandon them entirely.
