TRANMERE Rovers Football Club was put up for sale on internet auction site eBay today for 10 million dollars.

The audacious move, by American banker Joe Kosich, caused outrage on Merseyside, and club chairman and owner Peter Johnson, (pictured), had the offer removed from the site within hours.

Mr Kosich has been officially appointed by Mr Johnson to find a buyer for the Wirral club, but last night admitted that he was acting on his own initiative when he posted it on eBay. “This was all my own doing - and it was done with the best of intentions,” he said.

Tranmere was posted on eBay yesterday with  a starting price of $10m - just over £6m - with a link to North Carolina-based company Dornoch Capital Advisers LLC. 

Mr Johnson last told the Daily Post he was “appalled” by the move.  “It was totally inappropriate," he said.

“We immediately e-mailed them and said to take it off right away. You can imagine how shocked we were.”

Kosich is co-founder of Dornoch Capital, who were asked by Mr Johnson in March to find potential buyers or new investors in the League One club. Now the company could face being dropped.

Mr Johnson said Rovers will be considering  Dornoch Capital's mandate adding: “It is not a second-hand bike we are selling.”

Mr Kosich said: “The decision to list Tranmere on eBay was taken by me, without the knowledge or consent of Peter Johnson.  It was done as a publicity stunt to get Tranmere onto people's radar over here in the US. 

“To that extent it has worked. We are attracting publicity in the US and the UK and I have had contacts and e-mails from people who saw the eBay listing before it was withdrawn and now want to know more about Tranmere.

"I could not  have asked for more publicity and buzz about Tranmere than we are getting right now.

“I do believe this can have a positive impact, but I'm beginning to understand that there is a cultural divide between perceptions of using eBay in the US and the UK.