Thailand's multi billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra intents on buying an English football club by June and has now put his mind on buying English league giant Liverpool.

"Thaksin thinks the Liverpool football team is the most desirable of all," Thai National Team coach Thawatchai Sajakul said after Thailand's Prime Minister revived his plans to buy one of England's Premier league teams before June 2004.

"It is time for Thaksin to shop around," added coach Sajakul, who is also a Member of Parliament in Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai political party and who has been assigned to look around to shop for an English football club. An earlier attempt by Thaksin Shinawatra to buy Fulham was unsuccessful. "The feeling of the PM is like someone who definitely decide to buy shoes and now it's time to decide what brand you like.", Sajakul added

Thawatchai Sajakul said he had already approached Liverpool representatives about a possible purchase of the football club by Thailand. "The deal is under negotiation, but there is nothing confirmed yet," Sajakul said. "But the general idea is, that Thaksin will certainly buy a team in the English Premier league" by June 2004.

However, Thailand's coach said he would not be surprised if Liverpool denied Thaksin's offer. "Nothing is sure, we might also be interested in buying Arsenal" he further added.

Liverpool, who were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday by Portsmouth and are trailing in sixth place in the English premier league, declined to comment on Thailand's interest in their football club.

Thaksin Shinawatra, a self-made billionaire who founded a telecommunications empire before entering politics in Thailand, caused a stir last October when he held talks with Fulham's owner Muhammed Al Fayed about buying the London football team. Al Fayed quickly denied that Fulham was for sale.

Thaksin Shinawatra did not want to confirm nor deny the claim of Thai National Team coach Thawatchai Sajakul for his interest in the Merseyside club, saying there may instead be a deal to cooperate on football training for Thai players, something he has also already proposed in the past.

"The press thinks I am interested in buying Liverpool because I watch their matches," he told reporters. "I will not say whether I want to buy the Liverpool team or not," Thaksin added. "We may not have to buy Liverpool, we may cooperate with them by setting up a football academy in Thailand instead." Liverpool has visited football-mad Thailand twice on exhibition tours since Thaksin became premier in early 2001.

Football sports reporters in Liverpool said they also had got wind of Thaksin's aides checking Liverpool's financial position, but said they doubted whether it had any substance. They said Liverpool chairman David Moores, the majority shareholder, was unlikely to sell out at any price, mostly because he is an ardent Liverpool fan and has a strong love for the English club.

Thawatchai Sajakul also acknowledged that Leeds United is under intense financial pressure to find a buyer, but Thaksin was not interested because this English team was saddled with too much debt.