Consortium make second attempt to buy Southampton Football Club

The group containing Saints fan Marc Jackson – who tried to buy AFC Bournemouth last year – and Basingstoke businessman Stuart Green last night upped their bid to take control of the club.

The move came after their initial offer of £8m, with a further £2m deferred and another £5m dependent on promotions, was knocked backed by administrator Mark Fry.

Fry only formally acknowledged the bid on Monday and told the group they must almost double the initial payment to £14m if they wanted to enter into a period of exclusivity.

The Daily Echo understands a second offer was submitted last night, however it still falls short of the asking price and the group is now waiting for a response from Fry.

The group says it is ready to hand over £500,000 by way of advance to cover this month’s wage bill.

Spokesman Green, a former director of Basingstokebased firm Centreprise, was yesterday unavailable for comment.

The overseas consortium that have been circling are also confident of pushing ahead with their plans for the club.

They are yet to table an official bid but it is understood they have enough money to meet the creditor’s demands.

However, the Matt Le Tissier backed Pinnacle group have now been put on the back burner after failing to meet their latest deadline.

With their bid having been deemed as acceptable by the major creditors and as good for the long-term prospects of the club, the Pinnacle led consortium have been on the verge of entering into a period of exclusivity for over a week.

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