The outgoing chairman of Southend United has told the BBC he expects to have sold the club by the middle of May.
Ron Martin and a consortium led by Australian IT millionaire Justin Rees exchanged contracts for the sale in December.
But due diligence from several parties involved has slowed down the paperwork needed for the deal to be signed.
Mr Martin said he was sorry for the “tough time” Blues fans have faced during more than a year of uncertainty.
The owner said the process was “moving in the right direction” and his bank needed to sign off a repayment agreement.
By mid-May, Mr. Martin said, he was “99%” certain the club would be sold.
“That seems doable to me. “Jonathan is aware of that, and we are adhering to the same schedule,” he said during the BBC Essex fan phone-in.
“I believe we have a moral commitment to one another in addition to the contract.
“There is no attempt to slow it down. On the contrary, we’re attempting to accelerate it.
In information made public earlier this week, Stewarts Law, claiming to be a creditor of the club, submitted a bid to liquidate the non-league team.
On April 17, a judge in the London Insolvency and Companies Court is scheduled to review the claim.
Mr. Martin stated that the company had “jumped the gun” and made clear that he intended to reach a settlement with them before to the court date.
The 71-year-old stated that he did not believe the club would have vanished amid the difficulties of the previous year.
Prior to the announcement in October of the planned sale to Mr. Rees and other investors, Blues’ debt had risen to £2.5 million.
Due to earlier High Court proceedings, the team was deducted 10 points by the league in August.
It happened only a month after supporters demonstrated in front of Mr. Martin’s home.
“I know it’s frustrating for the fans and I’m sorry to the fans for that because it’s been a tough time, but I think next year will be a great season for the club,” the chairman stated.
He showered the team’s management, Kevin Maher, and the club personnel with compliments, saying they had performed “fantastically well”.
The Blues are in the middle of the table and would have qualified for the National League playoffs if not for the deduction of points.
“Dropping into the National League was the absolute worst day in my footballing life, I never thought that would happen,” stated Martin.
“That’s a huge disappointment because it’s a very tough league to get out of.”
He continued: “I am sorry for the fans, it’s been a tough time for them but my focus, as always, was making sure we did get to that safe harbour and passed the baton to someone else who was well funded.”
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