Krasner tight-lipped on fresh takeover talk

Leeds chairman Gerald Krasner has admitted the club’s owners would welcome new investment but would not comment on speculation tonight that a new takeover bid is imminent.

A report in the Yorkshire Evening Post claims the club have accepted an offer in principle from a consortium headed by haulage magnate and lifelong fan Steve Parkin.

Krasner’s consortium completed their takeover of the debt-ridden club five weeks ago and have stated since that additional outside finance would be welcomed.

Krasner, however, would not comment directly on the report which claims the consortium is ready to pump in £20m (€29.8m) to take a controlling interest.

Krasner said: “There has been speculation about our finances since the day we got the deal done.

“We don’t comment about our personal financial affairs with people in the press.

“But we have always said we would do anything in the interests of Leeds United. If Mr Abramovich mark II came along we would be foolish not to sit down and talk.

“But we have a strategy we are working on. Stage one of that strategy was to save the club and now we are on to stage two of that strategy.”

Krasner, along with fellow board members David Richmond, Simon Morris, Melvyn Levi, Melvyn Helme and Peter Lorimer, saved the club from administration when their £22m (€32.8m) takeover went through.

The deal rid the club of major creditors and wiped out more than £80m (€119.1m) debt, leaving their arrears at a much more manageable £20m (€29.8m).

Former Bradford chairman Geoffrey Richmond, who assisted the consortium in an advisory capacity during the takeover, continued as a football advisor but yesterday parted company with the club.