The Kuwaiti tycoon’s profile rocketed after it was revealed that the American owners of Premier League football club Liverpool were in takeover talks with an investment consortium headed by Al Kharafi.

However, the deal was last reported to be on the rocks. The road block could turn into an impasse unless Liverpool’s co-owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, lower their asking price, according to Abdulla Al Sager, who is thought to be one of the principals of the proposed deal.

Al Kharafi, of course, was a leading figure in the Gulf long before the Anfield faithful was chanting his name. If you tend to dine out often in the UAE, you’ve probably found yourself a regular at KFC, TGI Friday’s, Pizza Hut or one of the many other US franchises exclusive ly controlled by Al Kharafi’s food division, Americana Group.

Away from the food court, he remains one of the most influential Arabs in the region and is still the leading supplier to the newspaper industry in Kuwait. The Al Kharafi Group is also a top contender in regional construction, engineering and maintenance industries, with contracts in more than 30 countries worldwide. Notable contracts include a $110m Beirut hotel, a $200m golf and residential development in South Africa, and a $400m sewage plant in Kuwait. Al Kharafi also holds a large stake in the National Bank of Kuwait, which is credited for its efforts to improve the infrastructure in Iraq.