Sheffield United CEO issues update regarding takeover situation at Premier League club

United owner Prince Abdullah has seen two much-publicised deals to sell the club break down with US entrepreneur Henry Mauriss and Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi seeing takeovers collapse, but other parties remain interested in buying the Bramall Lane outfit.

Bettis said: “My understanding is they (Lazard) have a big database of people they think might be interested in acquiring a football club, so they may take ours and make a pretty brochure and send it out to all interested parties and start talking.

"That's where we are at the moment. It's getting close to a point where the interested parties have to do something or not.

"There are interested parties but ultimately the devil's in the detail, getting a deal done.”

Despite having top-flight status and key developments regarding ownership of the club’s assets and infrastructure improvements - with United also recently secured a site for a new state-of-the-art training centre at the HSBC Sports and Social Club in Dore – the Premier League outfit remain unsold and Bettis admits he is perplexed as to why a deal has not got over the line.

Bettis continued: "I personally don't understand why there hasn't been someone come and buy this football club. I think it's in a really good place, it's got a great fanbase.

"It's in a big city, it owns all its real estate etc. There's foundations to drive it forward and I could sit here and show you plans for the Kop, all the various things we could potentially do that are all sitting there and waiting for someone to pump money into it and drive forward.

"There's payback on them too. I don't for the life of me understand why a buyer hasn't been found, that actually steps up and does it.”

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