"A disaster" - Dubai's first attempt to buy Liverpool in 2006 was slammed by former chief executive

Dubai International Capital are reportedly interested in buying Liverpool from current owners FSG, according to reports - having failed in their previous attempt to take over the club back in 2006.

Reports from David Ornstein of The Athletic on Monday claimed that FSG had put the club up for sale, with the current ownership then releasing a statement claiming they would 'consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club'.

Since then, a host of investors have emerged as frontrunners. They include ineos owner - and Man United fan - Sir Jim Ratcliffe, although he has confirmed he is not interested in buying the club.

There are also links to Dubai, with Arabian Business claiming on Tuesday that DIC are preparing a $5 billion bid for the club.

But, had things gone differently in 2006, they could have bought the club from David Moores.

How close were Dubai International Capital to buying Liverpool?

Liverpool entered negotiations with DIC - whose founding chairman, Sameer Al Ansari, is reportedly a Liverpool fan - in 2006.

Moores, who was the majority shareholders, accepted what DIC described as a 'comprehensive offer' to take over the club, which led to the investors' attempts to complete a £156m buyout.

But DIC pulled out of the deal in January 2007, with the board weighing up an offer from George Gillett and already having doubts over DIC potentially taking over.

Gillett originally put a bid alone, but later returned with Tom Hicks as a fellow investor, and Liverpool accepted their offer in February 2007.

Rick Parry on potential Dubai takeover in 2006

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo in 2015, former Liverpool chief executive and current EFL chairman, Rick Parry, revealed he shook hands on a deal to sell the Reds to DIC.

He claims that it took 18 months for DIC to present a deal that Moores accepted, with Parry keeping one eye on the January 2007 transfer window.

He then added that two deadlines were missed for the sale to go through - with the second deadline, January 31, causing Liverpool to go back to Gillett.

Parry explained: "George Gillett, who we'd rejected in December, hadn't gone away. He'd taken on board some of our concerns - sadly - about him alone up against the riches of Dubai.

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"So he'd come back in with a stronger and wealthier partner - we all know what that was [Hicks] - and ostensibly more money. More money available for players, an absolute commitment to developing the stadium.

"And the very strong view of the board was, we've got to go with this one, DIC have had long enough."

Parry then expressed regret over accepting the Gillett/Hicks bid - but also believes DIC taking over would have also been a "disaster".

"It's the easiest thing in the world to say we shouldn't have done it - and I wish we hadn't - but you can only evaluate by looking at the information you had at the time, not on what has happened since.

"I dearly wish that the rulers of Dubai had been committed to the project. We flew out to Dubai around October [2006], ostensibly to meet the Maktoum family [Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Crown Prince of Dubai], and low and behold, we didn't meet any Maktoums. And David got really cold feet about DIC.

"To say we should have gone with DIC is complete and utter nonsense, that would have been a disaster too."

SPORTbible has contacted DIC for comment.