Maddock is saying theres no asking price. But its Maddock so heres a hope.
Liverpool are facing a near impossible struggle in their attempt to sign Brazilian star Alex Teixeira in the January window.The Reds have bid £25m for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, but they have already had that offer turned down flat by the club's billionaire owner Rinat Akhmetov.
The oligarch is the richest man in Ukraine and owns a vast business empire that was - until the recent conflict in that war-torn country - valued at more than £12billion.
The 49-year-old businessman controls more than half of Ukraine's coal, steel and thermo-electricity sectors, and has also invested heavily in the London property market, including the purchase of the most expensive property in Britain.
In 2013 he paid £136.4m for an apartment in One Hyde Park, as he looked to move the base of his empire to England's capital.
Akhmetov is said to be obsessed with Shakhtar, despite the damage his business because of the conflict in his home city of Donetsk which is just 50 miles from the Russia border, where Russian-backed rebels have taken control, and declared an independent Donetsk People's Republic.
His football club has been forced to move from their recently built multi-million pound Donbass arena and play all their home games in the western Ukraine city of Lviv, with plans to move back put on hold after the stadium was bombed in 2014.
But Akhmetov issued a statement recently insisting that his Brazilian star, who has scored 50 goals in the last two seasons, will not be sold in the January window.
He wants to keep Shakhtar as a symbol of hope for the residents of Donetsk, after recently making a speech denouncing the Independent Donetsk Republic. Akhmetov is not a man to be trifled with.
He took control of the club when his former business partner and suspected criminal underworld leader, Akhat Bragin, was blown up in his seat at the football club's stadium in 1995.
Akhmetov, who was the vice president of Shakhtar at the time, had skipped the game where five other people were killed along with the president in the VIP directors' box.
He has since denied any links with the bombing, or with Bragin's organised crime connections, despite working as his assistant. The billionaire's fortune has taken a hit since the conflict in his home country, and he has largely relocated to London, where he is quietly building a new empire, and his current wealth is valued at more than £7billion.
One source suggested he will not budge on selling Teixeira until the summer."For him, the football club is the main part of his life,” one expert suggested. “All of the decisions regarding players are between him and the coach. Nothing is done without him.”
The Brazilian attacking midfielder is also wanted by Chelsea, and he will push hard to leave in January, even though he realises he is fighting a losing battle.
The 26 year old is currently at a training camp in Florida with his Ukraine club, but he spoke to Brazilian journalists recently, insisting he wanted to move to boost his chances of playing for his country.
“Playing in the Premier League is a personal dream – it's the best championship in the world,” he said a month ago. “What I've heard and what my agent has said is that Chelsea, Juventus and PSG have made offers, but Chelsea and Juventus have gone further in the negotiations.
“All three are big clubs. Wherever I'll end up, I'll be happy. I'm happy to have received this offer from Chelsea, one of Europe's big clubs, but it's my agent who's taking care of this.”
One thing is for sure, if Liverpool's bid is to be successful, then they will have to significantly increase it from the current £25m on the table, with sources suggesting an offer beyond £40m will be required and even then probably in the summer.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpools-move-alex-teixeira-reds-7218801?1 
