Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who earlier made an unsuccessful takeover bid for English Premier League club Liverpool, is reportedly ready to pay more than 6 billion baht (US$185 million) for Manchester City with partners from China and the Middle East. Thaksin, one of Thailand's richest people, was removed from govenment in a bloodless military coup last September following months of mass street protests accusing him of massive corruption and abuse of power. A website wuoted by AP said that Mohamed al Fayed, the billionaire owner of London's Harrods department store and the Fulham Football Club, was involved in the negotiations on behalf of Thaksin.