Rivals Ready To Do Battle

The group contains relatives of Geoffrey Richmond, the former Bradford City chairman who guided that club to the brink of extinction.

The other consortium is fronted by Terry Fisher, the former Huddersfield Town chairman, and it claims it will bid an equal sum by the end of the week.

"We expect to be in a position to formalise our £30m offer by Friday (this week)," a spokesman for the Fisher group said.

This surge of interest has persuaded Trevor Birch that Leeds’ future will be secured sooner rather than later, but he denied that the original Krasner offer had been accepted.

"It is premature for anyone to say that the club has been sold for £30m. That is not the case,” Birch said. "We have until next Friday (the next agreed deadline with the creditors) to make a decision and negotiations are continuing with various parties."