Liverpool target Saudi Arabia, World Cup surprise package

With Liverpool and Manchester United up for sale, Saudi Arabia has set its sights on two of the world's most powerful clubs in a deal similar to the one that saw the PIB sovereign wealth fund buy Newcastle United. Saudi Arabia's sports minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, urged in an interview with Sky Sports that the country's investors would be interested in buying United and Liverpool.

"I hope so (there will be bids). If there are investors and it's a good deal, it would benefit the private sector, more interest in our country and new companies coming in. The Premier League is the best league in the world. Everybody watches it and we have a lot of fans here. It would be beneficial for everyone," he said. Both Fenway Sports Group, owners of Liverpool, and the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, have expressed interest in allowing new partners into the clubs or selling them outright.

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The aim, as well as being able to bring in around 5 billion euros for the clubs, is to sustain the level of competition against richer clubs such as Manchester City and Newcastle. PIB, the Saudi Arabian investment fund, took over Newcastle last season for around 330 million euros, a figure that will be multiplied in the case of United and Liverpool.

In just one year in charge of the Magpies, the north London outfit have gone from relegation battles to Champions League places. "There is a lot of interest, appetite and passion for [football]," the Saudi minister said in an interview with BBC Sport broadcast on Thursday. The Premier League "is the most watched league in Saudi Arabia and the region and has a lot of fans. We will definitely support it if any [Saudi] private sector comes in, because we know that will reflect positively on sports within the kingdom.

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The move is likely to generate criticism from UK football fans. There were already protests after the Saudi sovereign wealth fund bought Newcastle. During one match, fans held up a banner depicting a man in Saudi garb holding a bloody machete next to a business executive standing over a bag of money dripping with blood.