Singapore billionaire Peter Lim urged Liverpool's board Wednesday to accept his offer to buy the club and "not simply ratify a sale" to the owners of the Boston Red Sox.
A High Court judge ruled Wednesday that Liverpool's American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. do not have the power to prevent a sale of the club, which was expected to pave the way for a takeover by New England Sports Ventures.
Lim, who originally matched the 300 million pounds ($476 million) bid by the Red Sox owners, made an improved offer Tuesday of 320 million pounds and put forward an additional 40 million pounds for Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson to buy new players.
The 57-year-old Lim said he wanted Liverpool's board, which will be reconstituted later on Wednesday, to "consider all the offers before them," not just NESV's.
"I have delivered my offer to the board and believe that my ownership represents the best option for the future of the club and its supporters," Lim said in a statement.
"I am asking the board to run a full and fair process that enables all of the offers to be considered on their merits before the future of the club is decided."
Lim is competing against the Red Sox owners, who claim they have a "binding agreement" in place with Liverpool regarding the takeover and said they are "looking forward to concluding the deal."
"We are ready to move quickly and help create the stability and certainty which the club needs at this time," the NESV statement said. "It is time to return the focus to the club itself and performances on the pitch."
Lim said Tuesday his offer would come from his cash reserves and would remove the club's acquisition debt.
Most of Lim's fortune comes from his five percent ownership of Wilmar International, the world's largest palm oil trader. He is the second-largest stakeholder in clothing retailer FJ Benjamin and also has large stakes in education and logistics companies, a restaurant and real estate.
