By Ollie Irish

John W Henry (pictured) appears to be one step closer to completing his takeover of Liverpool FC after arriving at the London offices of legal firm Slaughter and May, where the club’s board are currently meeting to discuss the sale, in the wake of today’s High Court decision against Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

When asked how it felt to be so close to owning Liverpool, Henry gave reporters a smile and the thumbs-up.

In the face of keen interest from Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, Henry claims to have “a binding agreement” with regard to the purchase of the club.

“NESV [New England Sports Ventures, Henry's company] welcomes today’s High Court judgment, which is a huge step forward for Liverpool FC,” Henry said.

“NESV has a binding agreement in place with the board of Liverpool FC and we 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.

“It is time to return the focus to the club itself and performances on the pitch.”

The prospective new owners of Liverpool:

NESV has offered around £300m for the club, enough to pay back the £240m of loans and £40m of fees owed to RBS.

Peter Lim has offered £320m in cash for the club. He is also willing to offer £40m in cash to buy new players.

American hedge fund Mill Financial has pledged to wipe out all of Liverpool’s debts while providing up to £100m to fund a new stadium. It is the rank outsider of the three bidders.

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