Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow has highlighted the importance of building a new stadium as Liverpool and Rafael Benitez bid to keep pace with the elite clubs in England and Europe. Purslow told Spanish newspaper AS that investment is necessary if the club are to reduce the current debt of £237 miilion, and proceed with their plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park.

“When I arrived we agreed with the owners that we had to look for new investors…There are interested parties and I would like to get it sorted out before the end of the season. Without investment, there won’t be a new stadium”.

The Royal Bank of Scotland is insistent that before they restructure Liverpool’s debt, the club pays off a further £100 million, leaving Liverpool with a total debt of around £130 million. RBS would then be willing to organize the repayments over a longer term (Purslow hopes 3 to 4 years) as opposed to the current short-term payments currently agreed. Without refinancing the debt, Liverpool would be unable to proceed with their Stanley Park development scheme. RBS are also known to be interested in participating in the stadium's development, should Liverpool acquire the £100 million needed.

Purslow told fans in mid-January that a potential investor was likely to be identified by February, however, Purslow admitted to supporters at an SOS (Spirit of Shankly) meeting that it was unlikely to find investment until Easter at the earliest. The figure of £100 million would be issued as new shares in the club, leaving the potential suitor owning a large chunk of the club, but Purslow has not ruled out a total buy-out of the club either. Purslow, who joined the club in June 2009, replacing the outgoing Rick Parry, went on to suggest to AS that without a new stadium, Liverpool would simply continue with

“plan B: run the club in the most responsible way possible”.

Gillet and Hicks Snr will not be investing any more of their own money in the club, whilst the investment Liverpool are searching for will not be given to Rafael Benitez to spend this summer. Purslow has insisted that no player will be sold by the club to pay off debts, but the only way Liverpool will add to the squad this summer will be via club profits, and the sale of other players. Liverpool earn an estimated £50 million less a season than rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, with gate receipts largely attributed to this discrepancy. Chelsea and Manchester City are bank-rolled by billionaires, and so Liverpool need to procure greater gate receipts if they are to compete with these clubs in the future. This renders a new stadium an imperative. Purslow ended the SOS meeting by telling those present,

“Simple financial projections show LFC in a new stadium as the largest and most cash generative club in England. This is a prize worth chasing and that's why it’s our priority. Only with a new stadium will we have the financial capacity to have a similar wage bill as our top rivals and still be self sufficient, profitable and properly managed.”