Current owners Hicks and Gillett, who stand to LOSE up to £144m between them, have launched a legal battle against the sale, claiming it is 'not reasonable'.
And Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton declared: "This was the final opportunity to walk away with their heads high. They will now walk away humiliated.
"They could have said to the fans 'We said we will deliver the right owners and we have done at great personal cost'. I think it's rather sad."
Broughton, who has led the search for new owners, insisted: "Their legacy, by any stretch, was never going to be good. It's a pity they have chosen this route."
NESV must wait for the verdict of a High Court hearing, which could take place this week, to determine if their buyout gets the green light.
If they get the go-ahead, NESV's £300m purchase price would repay a £237m loan to the Royal Bank of Scotland plus various fees. That loan must be repaid by October 15.
Hicks and Gillett will lose £144m of their own money between them. That is the amount they say they have personally ploughed into the club.
If the deal is blocked, ironically the American pair stand to lose even more.
That is because if they cannot pay off the RBS loan themselves by the October 15 deadline, the bank will seize control of the club and Hicks and Gillett will face further financial penalties.
Broughton said: "The deal does offer something to the owners - it gets them out of their personal guarantees. If it goes into administration it doesn't."
The High Court hearing could even happen in the next couple of days, although Broughton expects the end of next week is a more realistic timeline.
Broughton added: "Given that RBS loan runs out next Friday, that is added incentive to do it quickly.
"I'm confident, though you can never be 100 per cent confident when you go to court.
"There is always the risk the judge will come to the opposite conclusion."
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