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Liverpool's potential new owners have made it clear their proposed £450m ($NZ1.282bn) takeover will be just a starting point for "significant" investment in the club, including substantial long-term transfer funds so it can compete with the billionaire-owned Chelsea and Manchester United for the Premier League title, and with Europe's biggest clubs for continental honours.
The club confirmed they have given permission exclusively to Dubai International Capital - a firm whose ultimate owner is the multibillionaire ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum - to conduct due diligence (an examination of the club's accounts).
That means DIC is in pole position to make a formal buyout offer.
A bid is expected soon after Christmas, if not before, and the club could be under new ownership early in the new year. The largesse of Sheikh Mohammed and his family in sporting matters to date has been most visible in their multi-billion pound investment in thoroughbred racing and in their ownership of the Godolphin racing stables - one of the richest, most successful racing operations in the world.
A DIC source suggested Rafael Benitez's job as the manager at Anfield would be safe under DIC ownership, and that the Spaniard will have more cash available for players than any Liverpool manager