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Within hours of the final whistle at Turf Moor, Liverpool fans’ moods were switched from anger to intrigue.

Defeat at Burnley had them fuming, but reports of potential investment from China certainly piqued supporters’ interest.

A story in the Sunday Times claimed that China Everbright, a state-backed financial giant, was spearheading an attempt to buy the club from current owners Fenway Sports Group, and that they had valued Liverpool at £800m.

It was also reported by the Financial Times that FSG had hired Allen and Co, a boutique investment bank, to advise on discussions over the sale of a “substantial stake” in the club.

These claims were swiftly dismissed by senior FSG executives , who are adamant that they have received no bids and that there are no ongoing discussions about selling a stake in Liverpool.

Reds chairman Tom Werner told the ECHO earlier this week that the club was “not for sale”, and FSG insist that is still the case. Speculation over interest from China, though, is unlikely to go away.

And here are a few of the main questions being asked by supporters right now....

Who are China Everbright?

Everbright were established in Hong Kong in 1983, a company set up, according to the Financial Times, by the Chinese government to act as a bridge for trade finance between the mainland and outside world.

Its flagship company, Everbright Limited , was set up in 1994 – initially named China Everbright – IHD Pacific Ltd.

According to its website, Everbright Limited “persistently pursues its ‘Macro Asset Management’ strategy, with specific focuses on cross-border asset management and investment business.”

It also “manages series of private equity funds, venture capital funds, sector focus funds, mezzanine funds, hedge funds and principal investment as operated via an international management platform, and provides overseas investors with opportunities to explore and invest in companies with fast growing potential in Mainland China."

Everbright also "seeks investment opportunities from overseas and provides diversified financial services for its clients in Mainland China.”

By the end of 2015, Everbright Limited had more than $7bn in total assets.

What about the China Investment Corporation?

That’s an intriguing part of the story. The Sunday Times claim that while Everbright are leading the bid to take over/invest in Liverpool, the bulk of the money is expected to come from the China Investment Corporation (CIC).

CIC is a sovereign wealth fund, state-owned, responsible for managing part of China’s foreign exchange reserves. Established in 2007, CIC had, by the end 2015, more than $813bn in assets under management, with net income of almost $74bn.

According to its website, CIC "are guided by the principle of long-term investment and risk diversification. Driven by research and allocation, our investments are on a commercial basis, with the objective of seeking maximum returns for our shareholder within acceptable risk tolerance, rather than seeking control of the companies in our portfolio.

"We are a responsible investor, abiding by the laws and regulations of China and recipient counties, and we conscientiously fulfill our corporate social responsibilities."

Did I hear the name Amanda Staveley mentioned? Have I heard that name before?

You did, and you have. The Sunday Times story claims that she is involved with the China ‘bid’.

Ms Staveley, a 43-year-old Brit, was involved in the negotiations when Dubai International Capital sought to buy a stake in Liverpool in 2008. The deal would have given Ms Staveley a place on the club’s board, but of course never came off.

The same year, she was also involved in Sheikh Mansour’s purchase of Manchester City, for which her company, PCP Capital Partners, earned a reported £10m in commission.

So why would these people want to buy a football club?

A fair question, and an easy enough one to answer.

Take this quote from Xue Feng, the CEO of Everbright Securities, after they partnered with Chinese technology company Baofeng to buy a 65% share in MP & Silva , a leading international sports media company, back in May.

“China owns billions of sports fans and its sports industry has been one of the hottest investments recently,” Feng said.

“We hope to seize the unprecedented opportunities brought by the rapid development of the sports industry in China.”

In short, they see the opportunity to make serious money. Liverpool is, according to Deloitte, the world’s ninth-richest club, with a turnover of £298.1m, and revenues will only increase given the Premier League’s remarkable £5bn TV rights deal with Sky and BT.

We have already seen West Brom taken over by Chinese businessman Guochuan Lai, while Football League clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also under Chinese ownership.

And last December, a Chinese consortium acquired a £305m stake in City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City. The Far East influence in English football is growing fast.

Could they come in as minority stakeholders?

The possibility is certainly there. Tom Werner confirmed to the ECHO that FSG were open to the idea of selling a minority stake in the club in return for the right investment. He did, however, claim there’s currently no such offer on the table and stated that “if someone wants to write us a letter saying they want to buy the club then it will get put in the garbage.

The Sunday Times report raises the possibility that John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, could retain a majority stake, with the Chinese becoming minority partners.

What happens now?

That’s the billion-dollar question. FSG’s swift denial of the story makes things interesting, with sources close to Everbright adamant that there is interest from China.

We’ve seen numerous rumours of Liverpool takeover bids in the past, without anything coming to fruition. Even the Sunday Times article stated that a “well-placed source” had warned that any potential deal was still some way off.

For supporters, it may simply be a case of wait and see – as frustrating as that may sound.