Liverpool approach Premier League as potential sale gathers momentum.
Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton and at least one potential bidder for the club have alerted the Premier League to a possible change of ownership at Anfield.
In a further sign that momentum is gathering towards the possible sale of the club this month, Liverpool have opened discussions with the League to ensure that any new owner complies with its ownership rules.
Under new regulations the League requires 10 days' notice of any change of ownership or the appointment of new directors. Any new owners must also meet the Premier League board in person and provide proof that they have the funds to buy the club and sustain it for a full season.
While no buyer has yet entered the 10-day period, it is understood that senior club officials and potential new owners have contacted the League to alert them to a potential change.
Broughton is keen to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window this month, and his confidence that there will be fresh investment at Anfield is understood to have played a part in Fernando Torres pledging his future to the club on Tuesday.
Broughton has also indicated that there are several potential bidders keen to take over from Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett, but thus far only Chinese businessman Kenneth Huang has made his intentions explicit.
Huang, the Hong Kong-based chairman of QSJ Sports, initially approached the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has lent around £237 million to the Americans, in an attempt to exploit anxiety about their financial position and force a sale on the club board.
The bank, which initially denied it had had contact with Huang, referred him to Broughton and Barclay Capital, the investment bankers appointed to find new owners.
Huang is hoping to secure the club for no more than £300 million, a valuation that will cover the club's debt but not provide the Americans with the profit they envisaged when they launched their leveraged takeover in 2007.
If Huang is to complete a deal and comply with the Premier League rules he will have to provide the proof of funds so far lacking from explanations of his plans.
As yet his UK advisers have declined to say who is backing Huang's bid, saying only that he has the support of a Far Eastern sovereign wealth fund. The assumption is that the source of his capital is Chinese.
Huang's decision to go public with his bid for the club was an attempt to pressure RBS and Broughton into pressing forward with his offer. While Hicks and Gillett are highly unlikely to approve any deal that does not reflect the value they believe they have added to the club, the other members of the board could overrule them and approve a sale.
As well as Broughton, managing director Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre sit on the board, and together could outvote the Americans.
