Sports industry experts predict that in five years time Liverpool could be worth up to $952 million

The successful sale of Liverpool Football Club to New England Sports Ventures (NESV) for US$476 million has been labeled as "a steal" by Marc Ganis, the president and founder of Chicago-based consultancy SportsCorp, the company that helped to form Chinese consortium QSL Sports in its attempts to bid for Liverpool back in August of this year.

Regarding NESV's acquisition of Liverpool FC, Ganis said that there was "a reason John Henry was so eager to close this deal - he got himself the bargain of the century."

Sold at a price of US$476 million, Liverpool, under normal circumstances, would be worth an additional US$160 million to US$240 million more according to high-profile bankers who wished to remain anonymous because of their close ties with other Premier League teams.

The new figures, backed up by Forbes Magazine's 2010 valuation of UK£533 (US$857) million, appear to be in line with Hicks and Gillett's original asking price of US$770 million and subsequently justify the American duo’s outspoken claims that the sale of Liverpool FC represented an "extraordinary swindle.”

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Although Liverpool fans are undoubtedly glad to see the back of Hicks and Gillett, Ganis and the bankers agreed that in five year’s time Liverpool could be worth double NESV’s original investment – US$952 million.