Coventry City administrator Paul Appleton announces four bids

Coventry City administrator Paul Appleton has announced that four bids have been made for the League One club.

Following Thursday's 12:00 BST deadline for final and best offers for Coventry City FC Limited, Appleton said: "I can confirm I have received four bids.

"I will obviously now take time to consider these bids before contacting the bidders with my final decision on a preferred purchaser.

"As part of this process, there will be discussions with the Football League."

It had been reported there could be as many as six potential bidders for the Sky Blues, but the only ones known are from a consortium headed by US tycoon Preston Haskell IV and another involving the club's current owners, Sisu.

Appleton is keen to have any deal finalised before the fixture list for the new season is released on 19 June.

City, who have been in administration since a High Court hearing in March, have been in a rent dispute with their stadium landlords, Arena Coventry Ltd, for more than a year but on Tuesday were offered the Ricoh Arena "free of any rental fee" for next season.

Sky Blues chief executive Tim Fisher revealed last Friday that the club are in talks with three fellow league clubs, all within a 30-mile radius of Coventry, about a potential groundshare deal, while they press on with plans to build a new stadium in the city.