Scunthorpe United’s Chief Operating Officer Lee Turnbull has confirmed that owner Peter Swann is still in talks with two interested parties over the sale of the club and revealed one party is at a more advanced stage than the other as negotiations continue.
Turnbull would not be drawn on the identities of the two parties, but it is understood Swann is still at the negotiating table with a consortium of local businessmen and the London based consortium who passed fit and proper person tests earlier this summer.
Turnbull told BBC Radio Humberside: “It’s fair to say that Mr Swann has been involved in protracted negotiations, particularly with one group for many months.
“He is currently in negotiations with one of the parties more prominently than the other. A deal is never done until it’s done. There will be speculation, there will be rumours and it is always difficult to manage that situation.
“I’ve been made aware by our media guys of various stories coming out through various social media indicating that the club has not been sold and these are the new owners. Where we stand at the moment, is very much that Peter in protracted negotiations to complete a deal for the football club.
“Anyone coming in to this football club there is a level of investment that is needed by the football club to move us forward and equally there is a price to be met by the current owner.
“It’s fair to say those negotiations have been moving forward in the last week or so. There is two prominent interested parties and there is probably one of the parties that has, at the moment, potentially moved a little bit further ahead than the other interested party.”
Turnbull also quashed rumours that the club had struggled to pay October’s wages, adding that he was ‘comfortable’ all players and staff were paid on time and there was no cause for concern.
“I think there are many clubs up and down the country that are feeling the pinch. There has been clubs up and down the pyramid that have struggled to pay wages.
“We pay our wages on time. In my long history with this football club, wages have always been paid on payday and that was no different. Historically this football club have always achieved that.”
You can listen to Olly Turner’s full interview with Lee Turnbull on BBC Sounds
