Michael Dunford: Crawley Town CEO waits on takeover conclusion

Crawley Town are currently 15th in the League Two table

Crawley chief executive Michael Dunford says he hopes a takeover of the League Two club by a Turkish consortium will be completed by next Friday.

The prospective Turkish buyers have agreed a deal in principle, but still need to satisfy the Football League's Owners and Directors test.

Dunford also revealed the club have had an offer from an English group, who could step in if the first bid fails.

"If it's not the 12th, it could be the following week," he said.

"It's out of our hands as such, but the deal's been agreed in principle, the devil's in the detail with solicitors."

The Turkish consortium also has to satisfy the Football League that they have the funds to run the Reds on an ongoing basis.

"They are quite stringent now, the Football League, given the problems at Leeds and clubs like that, so that could take another week maybe," Dunford added.

"The backstop is we have had another tentative enquiry, probably slightly more than a tentative enquiry from an English consortium, who realise that the other potential bidders are more probably a little bit more advanced than they are.

"It is a little bit up in the air at the moment, and it's not ideal from anybody's point of view, but these things happen and we have to get on with it."