The prince watched Liverpool's 6-1 win over Hull as a guest of Hicks's partner, George Gillett, and met the Colorado-based businessman and the club's managing director, Christian Purslow, after the game.
While sources close to Gillett insisted the prince's visit was linked to a scheme to set up club-branded academies in the Middle East, the prince himself told Saudi television he was "close" to buying a stake worth "between 25 and 50 per cent" of the club.
It was suggested that Gillett was courting the prince in an attempt to convince him to buy out Hicks's stake, but such a suggestion has been dismissed by several sources close to Hicks.
Prince Faisal, the chief executive of the F6 Sports company which boasts a portfolio of investments in Saudi Arabia, has visited Anfield several times as a guest of Gillett and, while the co-owner's presence at a low-profile game is out of character, it is believed no investment is imminent.
The two Americans have endured a difficult relationship since first buying Liverpool in 2007 and both have recently made overtures in the Middle East with a view to securing outside funding, Gillett through Rothschilds and Hicks through Merrill Lynch.
Gillett is in the stronger financial position of the two, having sold the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey franchise this summer for £300 million, but Hicks is adamant he will not cede control of the club, despite continued unrest among the fans.
It is believed he is prepared, though, to sell a quarter of the club to secure the funding required to restart building work on Liverpool's long-mooted new stadium on Stanley Park.