Liverpool chief wants quick sale

Broughton with new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson

Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton is hoping to sell the club by the end of the summer transfer window.

Broughton, hired by current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to oversee the sale process, said he expected bidding to begin in the middle of this month.

"There have been no offers at this stage," he admitted. "But we're hopeful a deal can be done by the end of the transfer season (on 31 August)."

Liverpool appointed Roy Hodgson as manager earlier this week.

When Hodgson was unveiled at Thursday's press conference, Broughton insisted he would not have to sell prize assets like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to balance the books, saying: "Players are not for sale. We don't need the money and we don't have to sell them because of the debt."

Broughton, who is also chairman of British Airways, promised fans the emphasis was on securing the best deal for the club, which would not necessarily be the highest offer.

He stressed: "This is a willing buyer, willing seller auction. We will do a deal with what we consider to be the best bidder. The best bidder may not be the highest bidder.

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"It's about more than just money. It's about stadium development, the team and the whole piece. One we've been through the process, the best bidder gets it.

"There haven't been any offers to turn down and I wouldn't have expected there to be at this stage. There are a number of interested parties but there's no specific deadline on it.

"We are looking to the middle of July-ish for the first round of bids...and we are on course, pretty well, with where we would have expected to be."

Broughton was hired by Hicks and Gillett in April. The Americans released a statement at the time saying: "Owning Liverpool football club over these past three years has been a rewarding and exciting experience for us and our families.

"Having grown the club this far, we have now decided together to look to sell the club to owners committed to take it through its next level of growth and development."

During their tenure, the joint-owners have endured a rough ride from supporters frustrated at the club's lack of success, culminating in last season's failure to secure a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League.

The club is around £350m in debt and protest group Spirit of Shankly have accused Hicks and Gillett of "broken promises" and "a lack of understanding about running a football club".

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