Jose Mourinho will only consider succeeding Rafael
Benitez at Liverpool if the club are sold to an investor who can
compete with Manchester City and Chelsea in the transfer
market.
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A decision on Benitez's future will be deferred by the Anfield
hierarchy until the end of the season, by which time the current
process of trying to find a new investor will have progressed. But
a City expert has informed Soccernet that it will need a
complete takeover of Liverpool to attract Mourinho.
The City source has intimate inside knowledge of previous failed
attempts to buy out George Gillett and Tom Hicks and he told
Soccernet: "From the people I know close to Jose, he will
not join a financially unstable club.
"If Liverpool got themselves into a solid, stable financial
condition with the funds to invest in new players then Jose
wouldn't think twice of joining Liverpool if the opportunity
arises. But not in the current conditions.
"The Liverpool owners have been trying to sell the club for two
years, now they are seeking investment of £100 million. They'll be
lucky. Who in their right mind is going to invest that amount for a
minority stake with no control and no say?
"Anyone coming will want control, at least 51% at the very
minimum. No one is going to hand over big sums with Hicks and
Gillett calling the shots. It's dysfunctional as it is, and it
would only be shuffling the deck chairs around the Titanic, and
make no real difference.
"The club have been out there now for several months seeking
investors without any joy, and I cannot imagine much will change in
the next few months."
Finding a potential investor would have been an easier task had
the club been performing better this season, and the source
admitted that, should Liverpool fail to make the top four come May,
financial problems could worsen and the desire to find a new
manager strengthen.
- Soccernet.com