RAFA BENITEZ is considering his Anfield future as Liverpool chiefs line
up a
new £100million investment in the club.
The Kop boss has reached breaking point and accepts it is now virtually
impossible to take the team forward.
But off the field, the club has lined up a spectacular deal with the
Rhone
Group - reported to be worth £3billion - to dilute the controversial
ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
The New York-based private equity firm have begun due diligence with a
view to
buying around a 40 per cent stake in the club.
The £100m deal would see controlling interest pass to billionaire
financiers
Robert Agostinelli and Steven Langman.
If the deal goes through it would repay the club's Royal Bank of
Scotland debt
and enable work to begin on the £350m new stadium.
There would also be considerable investment in the transfer market -
although
it is unlikely Benitez will be the man to spend it.
He has reached the stage where he believes it is time to quit Anfield,
with
Real Madrid a possible destination in the summer.
That would then allow potential new owners to install their own man at
the
Liverpool helm.
Managing director Christian Purslow has been scouring the globe to meet a
summer deadline to repay £100m of a £237m debt to RBS.
There is still interest from India, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but the
Rhone
Group are seen as the most viable proposition in the market.
Founded by Agostinelli and Langman in 1996, the Rhone Group describes
itself
as 'one of the world's leading mid-market private equity firms'.
They specialise in mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buy-outs and have
offices in New York, London and Paris.
The new Americans would take a controlling interest, leaving Hicks and
Gillett
with around a 30 per cent stake each.
The Rhone Group's co- founder Agostinelli, 56, is an Italian-American
executive based in Paris who lists former US President George W Bush and
current French President Nicolas Sarkozy amongst his friends. His
high-flying wife, Mathilda, runs the French office of Prada and was a
witness at Sarkozy's secret wedding to Carla Bruni.
Agnostinelli and Langman, 48, have worked together at several top Wall
St
firms before setting up the Rhone Group 14 years ago.
