Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is angry at reports suggesting he claimed the club's sale could drag on for as long as two years, according to the Press Association.
Reports earlier this week quoted the Texan as saying that he and fellow American George Gillett had been owners of Liverpool for three years, but would not be in charge for a total of five.
Many subsequent reports interpreted this as a hint that the sale of the club, which the duo publicly instigated last month, could take as much as two years.
Hicks, however, has reportedly reacted angrily to the publication of the remarks, which were part of an interview with American magazine Sports Business Journal in late March - a month before he and Gillett announced that the club was up for sale. He has not denied making the comments.
He has, however, denied claiming that he has "paid a terrible price" for ownership of the club, claiming that remark was in reference to his American-based sports interests. The 54-year-old has controlling interests in the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Stars ice-hockey franchise.
Hicks and Gillett have proven unpopular since they took control of Liverpool back in February 2007, with many fans angered by what they perceive to be broken promises. The pair claimed a new stadium would be built upon their arrival at Anfield, but have been forced to delay and eventually shelve those plans, whilst the club's debt stands at around £237 million.
Manager Rafael Benitez's future is unclear. The Spaniard is due to meet interim chairman Martin Broughton, who was appointed by Hicks and Gillett last month to oversee the sale of the club, to discuss transfer and monetary issues, as doubts persist over the financial security of the club.
Benitez has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus this summer, though sources close to the Reds boss claim he is keen to prolong his six-year spell on Merseyside.
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