Saudi prince claims he is about to buy into Liverpool

Just as Liverpool have recovered their poise on the pitch after an unconvincing start to the season, turbulence behind the scenes has returned in the form of rumours that a Saudi Arabian prince may be about to take a 50 per cent stake in the club.

Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdullah al-Saud told Saudi television that he was close to securing a 50 per cent stake in the club after watching Liverpool's 6-1 demolition of Hull alongside Reds' co-owner George Gillett. It has been suggested that Gillett wants the prince to buy out co-owner Tom Hicks.

However, sources close to Hicks have dismissed the suggestion that he is about to sell up. Gillett, too, has insisted that the prince's visit was simply linked to a scheme to set up Liverpool academies in the Middle East.

Prince Faisal is chairman and CEO of F6, a Saudi-based investment and marketing company. He spent around six hours at Anfield, along with his bodyguards, and is reported to have been taken into the dressing room before leaving around 90 minutes after the end of the game.

Afterwards he was quoted as saying: "We are seeking to own a 50 per cent stake in the club. The value of the transaction, which is nearing resolution, will be between £200m and £350m."

Gillett and Hicks have made uneasy bedfellows since buying the club from David Moores in 2007. They stepped in after another Middle Eastern consortium Dubai International Capital (DIC) withdrew their bid. The pair paid £220m for the club.

Their reign has been far from plain sailing: Gillett and Hicks fell out in early 2008 and work on a new ground has yet to begin. There has also been infighting between manager Rafa Benitez and former chief executive Rick Parry, who left the club in the summer.

Benitez, backed by Hicks, appears to have won the fight for survival, but he was almost forced out last year, with Jurgen Klinsmann lined up as a replacement, and he has threatened to quit over transfer policy - his net transfer spend in the summer was just £2m.

It has also been reported that Gillett hoped to sell his stake to DIC in the past, but Hicks vetoed it. It was believed the pair had repaired their relationship over the summer when they arranged a refinancing of the club which has reduced its debt to around £250m.

Gillett is now in the stronger financial position of the two, having sold the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise for £300m, but Hicks is adamant he will not cede control of the club, despite continued unrest among the fans.

One man who has had enough is David Moores, who only sold to the Americans on the condition that a new stadium would be built. He has announced he will no longer be attending games, such is his frustration. Other Liverpool fans will be split between relief at the prospect of a new owner coming on board and frustration that the club is once again threatened with turmoil. ·