CARLSBERG, LIVERPOOL'S biggest sponsor, has criticised the club's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, for delays in building their new stadium and said it is an open secret the club is still up for sale.

Keld Strudahl, Carlsberg's international marketing director, said: "While we have a good relationship with Tom Hicks, we are naturally unhappy that the planned new stadium has been postponed. That cannot be good for Liverpool as a long-term business."

Work on a new stadium at Stanley Park, which began in June, has been put on hold because of the spiralling cost of finance. The club has denied reports that it is considering redeveloping Anfield or sharing the new ground with Everton and Hicks argues that while investment in the stadium has been postponed, he and Gillett have funded the purchase of both the €28 million Fernando Torres and €21.5 million Robbie Keane.

Carlsberg who have sponsored Liverpool for 16 years, said it would be happy doing business with Dubai International Capital - the investment arm of the Dubai government - should it still be interested in a takeover. "We want the owners to say whether they intend to keep the club," he added.

Strudahl said because of the credit crunch only an organisation such as DIC could afford to buy a Premier League club. Its attempts to buy out Hicks and Gillett were thwarted by the former's reluctance to countenance any sale, although Gillett is willing to sell his 50 per cent stake in the club.

"If DIC become the new owners, I cannot foresee any problems working with them," he added. "We had a good dialogue with them before Hicks and Gillett. As the main sponsor, we saw their business plan and it looked good.

"DIC is as big a player in a potential Liverpool takeover as previously believed. You shouldn't underestimate the impact the credit crunch has had on clubs. At the moment there are not a whole lot of investors interested in buying Premier League clubs."

Strudahl feels Hicks and Gillett might be interested in selling Liverpool if the offer is right. "That Liverpool is for sale is a badly kept secret but nobody has the money to invest right now. The only people who can invest are those not interested in making a profit."

However Carlsberg said they will renegotiate their shirt sponsorship deal with Liverpool, worth €7.7 million a season, which expires in 2010, in the summer.

• Guardian Service