Bidders still hoping to snatch Southampton FC from the Swiss

A deal is now close to being completed but other bidders still believe they are in with a chance if anything should change.

The Daily Echo understands the Swiss buyers are on the verge of rescuing the St Mary’s club.

The remaining couple of glitches were ironed out this morning, but the deal is not yet completed and no money has been paid - and other bidders are still negotiating.

• Lawyers from the Worldwide Financial Group behind a rival bid met with Mark Fry this afternoon and still believe they are in with a chance of securing the club.
• Furthermore, the Gillico consortium fronted by John Batchelor also provided further proof of funds this morning following a request from the administrator.

The Swiss - believed to be related to Swiss billionaires Willi and Isolde Liebherr - are very much in pole position however, although they are not yet certain of tying up the deal.

The Daily Echo contacted administrator Mark Fry and, although he would not confirm nor deny the story, he did say he was confident of a deal being concluded shortly.

Saints’ parent company was placed in administration 97 days ago and the road to getting a takeover of the football club to completion has been a longer and bumpier one than anyone could have predicted back on April 2.

But it seems the saga is finally going to come to an end with the promise of a bright new future for the club.

It has also been a long road for the Swiss, who first thought they were going to get to exclusivity to do a deal on May 29 only for Pinnacle to snatch the 21 days window from under their noses.

However, after that deal failed to go through, and with the Matt Le Tissier-backed Pinnacle group eventually withdrawing, the Swiss came back to the table and were one of few parties left interested in buying the club - as exclusively revealed in the Daily Echo.

They were being chased by, among others, a worldwide financial group who remained confident of tying up a deal for most of yesterday only for that to start to wane in the afternoon, seemingly as the Swiss were getting nearer and nearer to their expected completion.

The other bids on the table were the one from Gillico, which never got too far, and another British-based bid of which very little is known.

However, the Swiss, whichever part of the Liebherr empire they may originate from, and the substantial backing they have, seems set to win the day.

It looks likely they will accept the Football League’s ten point deduction and attempt to move on in an amicable fashion.

Saints fans will also finally be able to start contemplating their League One fixture lists after worrying for so long that their club might not make the start of the season, Fry having stated before that it could go out of business if no buyer was found quickly.

It is understood the Swiss have drawn up plans to try and hit the ground running.

Much time has already been wasted in the build up to the season and as a result Dave McGoldrick and Andrew Surman have been sold.

But excited supporters will await news over whether this latest development means that goalkeeper Kelvin Davis will remain at St Mary’s.

One of the o t h e r announcements they will be keenly waiting – assuming the deal goes through – is the price of season tickets which the club have not been able to release due to their administration.