Daily Echo:

THE Chinese takeover of Southampton Football Club is still in the pipeline, but the Daily Echo understands that a deal will not be struck imminently.

Lander Sports Development have been in talks with Saints owner Katharina Liebherr for the past year regarding a £210m takeover of the club.

Representatives of Liebherr and Lander Holdings held meetings with the Premier League to discuss the deal and they were followed by investigations by the league in to the suitability of Lander chief executive Gao Jisheng.

Gao has been accused of paying bribes to Chinese politicians and, as with any such deals with top flight outfits, the Premier League carried out its own research in to the person interested in a purchase of one its clubs.

It has now been reported that the Premier League has concluded its probe and Gao has passed its owners and directors fit and proper persons test, while other areas of the structure of the deal have been approved.

However, this latest development is said not to reflect any conclusion of a deal imminently and it could be some time before anything is sealed.

Social media was abuzz last night after reports that a deal would be completed today spread.

The Daily Echo understands this not to be the case and the details of the deal are continuing to be discussed between Liebherr and Lander.

Liebherr and her team have been at the heart of the deal, rather than those in power at St Mary’s. They have carried out their own due diligence on Lander and would appear to be satisfied they are fit to carry the club forward, and indeed progress it.

Liebherr is keen for the club to continue to move forward in the way her late father Markus would want, but with her personal worth estimated at around £300m-£400m – meaning any sale would have a big impact on her personal finances too - clearly will not be able to fund the kind of lavish spending required to take Saints on the next step of their journey to become regular Champion League qualifiers.

Liebherr has already proved her loyalty to Saints by loaning the club a substantial amount of money, having pumped in all but about £15m of her family’s £69m investment in Saints.

When contacted by the Daily Echo, Southampton FC declined to comment on this matter.