Liverpool have issued a statement outlining their intention to remove a Texas court’s restraining order to block the sale of the club to New England Sports Ventures.

John W Henry arrived at the offices of the club’s lawyers, Slaughter and May, on Wednesday night to try to complete his £300 million takeover, but Tom Hicks and George Gillett were able to secure a temporary restraining order minutes before it could be sealed. The duo are also claiming over £1 billion in damages.

Henry had said he was “pretty confident” of completing the takeover upon his arrival at the meeting in London, with the Royal Bank of Scotland having been given High Court backing earlier in the day to prevent Hicks and Gillett making changes to the board.

Hicks and Gillett predictably sought a further legal response, however, with the duo describing the sale as a “epic swindle” in which the so-called ‘home team’ on the Liverpool board – Martin Broughton, Christian Purslow and Ian Ayre – refused to listen to offers that would have been preferable to the co-owners.

There is some debate over whether a Texan court has jurisdiction over the sale of a club in England, and the action has been described as “unwarranted” by the club.

A club statement on Wednesday read: “Following the successful conclusion of High Court proceedings today, the boards of directors of Kop Football and Kop Holdings met tonight and resolved to complete the sale of Liverpool FC to New England Sports Ventures.

“Regrettably, Thomas Hicks and George Gillett have tonight obtained a Temporary Restraining Order from a Texas district court against the independent directors, Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and NESV to prevent the transaction being completed.

“The independent directors consider the restraining order to be unwarranted and damaging and will move as swiftly as possible to seek to have it removed.

“A further statement will be made in due course.”

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Liverpool Football Club is to be sold to New England Sports Ventures, after the board accepted an official bid from the American outfit.

The sale is conditional of Premier League approval and can only proceed if the current owners are defeated with their attempts to oust Ian Ayre and Christian Purslow from the Liverpool board.

Chairman Martin Broughton said: “I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive.

“The Board decided to accept NESV’s proposal on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a suitable new owner. NESV’s philosophy is all about winning and they have fully demonstrated that at Red Sox.

“We’ve met them in Boston, London and Liverpool over several weeks and I am immensely impressed with what they have achieved and with their vision for Liverpool Football Club.

“By removing the burden of acquisition debt, this offer allows us to focus on investment in the team.

“I am only disappointed that the owners have tried everything to prevent the deal from happening and that we need to go through legal proceedings in order to complete the sale.”

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Liverpool have rejected a proposed refinancing strategy from co-owner Tom Hicks that could have given the American increased control at Anfield.

Hicks personally delivered his proposal direct to the Liverpool board in a showdown meeting ahead of the club’s Europa League tie, and was told that his plans were not acceptable.

In fact, Hicks was left in no doubt of the board’s resolve to find new owners and end his turbulent reign – alongside fellow American George Gillett – at the Premier League giants.

Hicks wants to buy out the £237 million Royal Bank of Scotland debt which is threatening to end his joint ownership of the club when the facility expires on deadline of October 6. He is hoping to raise funds from US banks to raise the funds to buy out RBS, possibly using the players and stadium as collateral.

Hicks has moved to thwart the possibility of RBS temporarily taking control of Liverpool and selling it off at a rock bottom price, far less than Hicks and Gillett believed it to be worth when they originally put the club up for sale at £800 million a year ago.

The price has since plummeted and might now be worth as little as £150 million. With no creditable buyer yet in public sight, Hicks is trying desperately to retain control, if not total control, and hold out in the hope of finding someone who will pay more later.

With Gillett’s finances in a parlous state, and with the possibility that he might default on other loans and ultimately lose his 50% stake in Liverpool, his partner Hicks is attempting to refinance alone and gain total control.

The Liverpool board are having none of that, believing an extension of the Hicks and Gillett ownership, even if it reverts to Hicks, would only prolong the financial misery.

Meanwhile, to ESPNsoccernet, Liverpool have refuted claims that they have sought advance funding from the Premier League from TV revenues and sponsorship payments as their financial situation is starting to alarm fiscal experts.

A fire sale of players in the January transfer window cannot be ruled out, according to ESPNsoccernet sources, but that would be one of the last resorts to shore up the ailing finances.

Under the circumstances Liverpool have already given assurances to the Premier League that they can fulfil all their fixtures for this season. A similar undertaking has been given to UEFA about the club’s participation in the Europa League.

ESPNsoccernet approached Liverpool to ask: “Can the club still afford the players’ huge monthly wage bill, considering the club are now in the red?”

A club spokesman said: “Liverpool FC has prudent working capital facilities that allow the Club to make proper provision for outgoings as and when they arise. These working capital facilities are totally satisfactory to both the Premier League and UEFA.”

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has joined Twitter… although we’re sure a few of you will be interested.

The Brazilian is reportedly hoping to secure a move away from Anfield during the next transfer window so if you follow him he will no doubt keep you informed with what he wants you to hear about that.

You can follow Lucas @ http://twitter.com/LucasLeiva87

Lucas joins Ryan Babel on the popular networking website, the Dutch winger can be followed @ http://twitter.com/ryanbabel

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Chinese businessman Kenny Huang is set to give up on purchasing Liverpool as he is frustrated with the lack of progress his bid for the club is making.

With current Reds owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett looking to sell the club, Huang is one of the parties interested in buying, and submitted an offer for Liverpool.

The Liverpool board is verifying that each perspective owner has the funds they have offered and are deciding which bid they will accept, with the bidder that receives the majority of the votes getting control of the club.

According to The Guardian, Huang is growing impatient as he hoped to buy the club before the transfer season ends so that he can provide Reds boss Roy Hodgson with funds to strengthen the squad.

Frustrated with the fact that Liverpool have not made a decision on who will take over the team, Huang could now drop out of the running for the club if the Reds do not choose the winning bid soon.

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Liverpool Football Club have sacked manager Rafael Benitez. The Spaniard has been axed by the club after the board decided he had lost the players and will now look elsewhere for a ma n the players can put their complete trust in.

There were rumours speculating that some big-name players, including Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, would leave the club this summer if Benitez stayed in charge but after negotiations, mainly to discuss his pay-out, the man who took the reins at Anfield in 2004 will no longer be in charge.

It is believed Benitez is being targeted by Inter Milan who are without a manager following Jose Mourinho’s defection to Real Madrid.

Potential candidates for the Reds job at this early stage include Fulham’s Roy Hodgson and Bayern Munich’s Louis van Gaal as assistant Sammy Lee will act as caretaker for the time being.

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Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is looking to sell the club for a lofty £800million.  Is he nuts?  How to sell for £800million when a club cannot win league title for 20 years, not qualified to next season’s champion league, and with a debt of £237m?  Crazy man, crazy American.  They are trying to make hefty profit at the expense of Liverpool.

Co-owners Hicks and George Gillett bought the club in 2007 for £219m, and the Americans want to make a hefty profit off their investment.

The pair’s intention to sell was brought to light after their recent appointment of chairman Martin Broughton.

A six-month reprieve has been granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland on the club’s £237m debts and the owners want to find a buyer as quick as possible.

“Liverpool will be the most profitable investment I have ever made,” Hicks said, according to the Daily Telegraph, insinuating a business motive was behind purchasing the club.“I should make four times my money. Liverpool has been the most rewarding in so many ways and the most painful in so many ways. When you feel fans turn against you, it is very frustrating.

“The fans blame the owners [for failures on the pitch], but the reality is that we have had injuries to our key players and we just were not a very good team without them.”

Hicks may have a hard time finding a buyer as potential purchases of the Merseyside club in the region of £500 million have fallen through in the past.

Liverpool’s supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, were less than happy with Hicks comments.

A spokesman for the union proclaimed, “To suggest he and George Gillett have quadrupled the value of the club in the last three years is simply not realistic. No potential investor will pay that much because the club is not worth that much.”

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India’s richest man is eyeing off a takeover of Liverpool.  The Times says Liverpool emerged as a takeover target for the seventh-richest man in the world last night as the pressure mounted on Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to cut a deal to sell Anfield.

Mukesh Ambani, the wealthiest man in India, is one of two tycoons from the sub-continent competing to buy a stake in the Merseyside club.

The Sahara Group’s chairman, Subrata Roy, and Ambani’s Reliance Industries have each tendered similar bids to pay off Liverpool’s £237 million debt in return for a 51 per cent stake in the club.

Last night Christian Purslow, the Liverpool chief executive, denied any knowledge of either bid, but The Times reports that approaches began as early as November and that some preliminary talks have taken place.

Ambani, 52, is said to be worth $19.5 billion (about £12.5 billion) — more than the combined worth of Sheikh Mansour and Roman Abramovich — from his investment in Reliance Industries, a petrochemicals giant, according to Forbes business magazine.

If it is true, I am happy over the moon.

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Juventus have agreed personal terms with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, it has been revealed.

The Independent on Sunday says Juventus have agreed terms with Liverpool manager Benitez for him to manage the Serie A club next season, according to authoritative reports from Italy last night.

La Repubblica newspaper reported that the club’s lawyers will arrive in England today for talks tomorrow about the release of the manager this summer. Benitez’s current contract at Anfield runs until 2014.

Juventus president Jean-Claude Blanc is reported to have “already fixed everything with Benitez and has in his drawer a detailed agreement of his terms and length of contract”. Juve are keen to reach an agreement and begin making plans for next season.

Will Rafa betray Liverpool and join Juventus?  or Will he be sacked and then join Juventus?  Let’s see!  Personally, it is not the end of the world for Liverpool if Benitez will leave Liverpool.  If this is true, I hope that we can bring in an attacking mind and world-class manager.

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Rafael Benitez has confirmed Liverpool have held talks with Sunderland over a deal to sign striker Kenwyne Jones although he is unsure about the current position of the deal.

Liverpool have been linked with Jones for some time, and Sunderland boss Steve Bruce hit out at Benitez on Friday for unsettling the player.  And while Benitez insists he did nothing wrong in the pursuit of Jones, he has confirmed that the two clubs are currently discussing a potential deal.

“I was not dealing with this,” Benitez said. “(Managing director) Christian Purslow has been talking with (Sunderland chairman) Niall Quinn so they have to manage the situation because I was not doing anything.

“I prefer not to talk too much because we will create a debate so Christian and Niall will continue to talk if they need to talk. They were in contact but I don’t know what the situation is now.”

It is understood that Liverpool are privately angry at Bruce’s comments, particularly as preliminary talks have been taking place between the clubs since last month.

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