China Everbright Group, a state-owned Chinese enterprise, had recently approached Liverpool FC for a potential takeover of the English Premier League side, according to recent reports.

Sky News indicated that Everbright is "plotting to buy a stake" of the Reds football club in a "deal valuing the Premier League outfit at more than £700 million", despite the team's American owners insisting that "they have no intention of relinquishing control".

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The report continued that the state-backed Chinese firm, which is a huge financial services company "listed on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges", is set to come together with PCP Capital Partners to try and purchase a significant stake in Liverpool from its current owners, the Delaware-based Fenway Sports Group.

PCP, led by Amanda Staveley, is the same firm that facilitated the sale of another English top flight club, Manchester City, to City Football Group's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan in the summer of 2008. Sheikh Mansour had sold 13 percent of City's stake to Chinese consortium China Media Capital in December of last year.

Speculations are out that the final bid is not yet completed but that Everbright could call on China's other state-owned companies to help increase the proposal. Investment company Silk Road Finance Corp., which includes ex-Goldman Sachs and HSBC director John Thornton as one of its current directors, is also rumored to be involved in the said deal.

Rumors further mentioned that a deal will most likely be a partnership between the current owners and the Chinese group rather than a 100 percent buyout.

Should the deal push through, it will represent one of the biggest Chinese investments in European football to date.

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that according to Liverpool's owners "the club is not for sale", but they would be ready to listen to offers from foreign investors if there would be any.

The article also noted that the current Reds ownership has "received no offer for a stake and are not in active talks with a potential investor" at the moment, "but an informal approach has not been ruled out from the (Chinese) consortium".

TagsChina Football, China football 2016, China Football News, China Everbright Group, Liverpool FC