DIC denies interest in Newcastle or Liverpool

Dubai International Capital LLC said it is not involved in a renewed bid for Liverpool, and denied talks with the team's American owners are taking place. It also ruled out interest in any other Premier League club. Reports had linked the group with a bid for Newcastle United.

"DIC can confirm that it is not involved in any negotiations to buy LFC and is not planning a fresh bid for LFC or any other football club," the United Arab Emirates-based company said in an e-mailed statement today.

Dubai International, which owns shares in HSBC Holdings Plc, Sony Corp. and the European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., has also been linked with a move to purchase Newcastle United, after its owner put the club up for sale yesterday.

Newcastle United's owner Mike Ashley announced he was putting the club up for a sale amid fan unrest following the resignation of the team's manager Kevin Keegan.

It had been reported that Ashley dispatched members of his inner circle to Dubai to sound out potential buyers.

Meanwhile, according to The Daily Telegraph, Ani Ambani, an Indian businessman, has ended his interest in taking over the club, but the Chinese billionaire Xu Rongmao has been linked with a bid.