Nine-point deduction could scupper Liverpool takeover
Sale of the Anfield club could be affected by administrationBy Dan Roan BBC sports news correspondent
Liverpool's proposed takeover by New England Sports Ventures (NESV) could be jeopardised if the club is docked nine points, BBC Sport understands.
An NESV source said the penalty, which is likely if the club's parent company goes into administration, would be "a deal breaker".
Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton said the threat of NESV walking away "is not my understanding".
But chief executive Christian Purslow insists administration is remote.
"I'm not contemplating administration and nobody should be," Purslow told BBC Radio 5 live's sportsweek programme.
"I'm completely focused on making sure the sale completes."
NESV's proposed £300m takeover is set to be opposed in the High Court next week by Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Their parent company Kop Holdings owe £280m to Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and must pay by 15 October.
If the American duo are successful in blocking the proposed sale, or if it is delayed beyond next Friday, RBS may place Kop Holdings into administration to release the money owed to them.
Because the club is the only asset of Kop Holdings, the Premier League would then be likely to deduct nine points, leaving Liverpool on -3 points and bottom of the table after a dismal start to the season.
It now appears this could dissuade NESV from concluding any sale but if for some reason a deal with the American group is scuppered, BBC Sport sources have learned that the Asian consortium that has also tabled a bid for the Merseysiders could then be in a position to proceed.
Broughton said on Friday he fears the club is at risk of entering administration, leaving it devalued and "wide open to predators".
"Setting aside the nine-point deduction, it would have an impact on Liverpool's value and be wide open to predators, whereas we have what we believe is the right new owners to take the club forward," he told ESPN.
"This is all part of why it is important that we made the decision on Tuesday to accept one or the other of two very acceptable bids.
"Heading into administration was a very likely outcome if we didn't. Even now with the court case looming, administration cannot be ruled out."
Reds co-owners Hicks and Gillett oppose the sale as they value Liverpool at double NESV's bid, but they have been outvoted by the rest of the board.
BBC Sport understands that RBS is pushing to have the owners' opposition to the sale heard in the High Court on Tuesday, in order to leave as much time as possible before the deadline.
Whenever Hicks and Gillett's case is eventually heard, thousands of Liverpool fans are expected to make the journey to London to voice their protest over the duo's ownership of the club.
Should the pair be unsuccessful in court and NESV go ahead with their bid to buy Liverpool - a proposal which has been approved by the Premier League - Reds boss Roy Hodgson could expect to face discussions on his future.
Broughton has said that is a situation Hodgson was aware of when he arrived at Anfield and that a break clause in his contract addresses the possibility that new owners may want to bring in their own man.
"Provisions were made in Roy's contract to relate specifically to any change in ownership," Broughton stated.
The Reds chairman said he expected Hodgson to continue as manager, but added: "He came to the club knowing full well the circumstances and the risks attached to it."
Broughton said he believed that in NESV, who own the Boston Red Sox baseball team, he had found the right buyers to take the club forward.
And he also admitted to having searched the world looking for potential suitors such as those at Premier League rivals Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
"We hoped for someone who wanted a 'trophy asset', but having scoured the world without finding one, the conclusion is that there are no more Romans out there," he said.
BBCSport.co.uk
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