“They are legends of Liverpool. One day I would like to be close to them.”

In a summer in which an array of Liverpool stars have been subject to a series of transfer rumours, the Anfield outfit’s ability to hold on to its prize assets like Torres could now be boosted by co-owner Gillett’s proposed sale of the Montreal Canadiens to the Molson family.

The deal to sell the NHL’s most successful ever team is worth a reported $550million (£330m).

Gillett put the Canadiens up for sale earlier this year as he looks to find funds to meet obligations on debt incurred as part of his takeover of Liverpool in partnership with Hicks.

The sale includes Gillett’s 80% stake in the team, the Bell Centre arena, and the Gillett Entertainment Group. Brewing moguls the Molsons, who sold the controlling interest in the team to Gillett for around $75m (£165m) in 2001, already own the remaining 20% share.

“This is a very exciting time for our family and we are grateful to the many people and organisations who came forward to offer their collaboration in the development of our proposal,” Geoff Molson said.

The sale must first be approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors, and will likely not be completed for several more weeks.

The NHL’s approval of the sale would, however, seemingly be only a matter of course.

While Hicks and Gillett have been seeking other investors for Liverpool, they have so far come back empty-handed, meaning funds from a sale of the Canadiens could be needed to help cover upcoming payments.

Hicks has also been seeking to sell off elements of his own sporting empire – which includes Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Hicks’s situation is further complicated as the Hicks Sports Group in April defaulted on a £325m loan ($525m) relating to the Rangers and Stars.

Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Mauricio Pellegrino has failed to rule out the possibility of Javier Mascherano leaving Anfield.

“Every time negotiations are under way, money always makes the decision,” Pellegrino said.

“Anyway, Mascherano is such an important player for us, like other ones can be for Barca.

“I do not want to say anything about it because we already know that in football’s world, nothing is impossible.”