Bolton Wanderers made available for £15m as owner Eddie Davies targets quick exit from financially crippled club
- Trevor Birch holding talks of sale with three sets of bidders
- Former Bolton Wanderers players Dean Holdsworth and Stelios Giannakopoulos involved in two of the bids for struggling side
- Deposit of £15million must be paid in full for the Trotters
- Bolton players were not paid for November, with club bottom of table
Prospective buyers of Bolton Wanderers can have the struggling Championship club for just £15million.
That is the amount fixed by owner Eddie Davies and Trevor Birch, the financial adviser recently installed to oversee the sale.
But Davies insists the amount must be deposited in full before he allows a change of ownership.
Trevor Birch (right) and Bolton Wanderers owner Eddie Davies look on from inside The Macron Stadium as the Trotters crashed to a 3-2 defeat by Cardiff City on Saturday
Potential new owner Dean Holdsworth (right) watched the match with his Sports Shield consortium
Former players Stelios (left) and Dean Holdsworth are both involved with consortium looking to take over
It costs £30million-a-year to run Bolton and lifelong supporter Davies wants to guarantee the club has enough funds to run until the end of the season – hence the demand for £15million (half-a-season) up front before he gives up control.
Beyond that, Isle of Man-based businessman Davies doesn't want any more money and is prepared to walk away having written off £185million of his personal fortune.
Birch is continuing to hold talks with interested parties that include a consortium fronted by ex-Bolton striker Dean Holdsworth, another group that includes another former player Stelios Giannakopoulos and a third set of bidders from North America.
However, nobody has yet agreed to pay the asking price in one instalment and until that happens, the club's future remains uncertain.
Davies is not putting any more of his own money in, the players have not been paid for November and held talks with the PFA about it. Administration is a last resort if a buyer can't be found quickly.
Even so, Davies' desire to leave Wanderers does seem to represent a great opportunity. Besides the club, the new owners would also get the stadium, training ground, academy and hotel.
Bolton Wanderers Gary Madine (centre) celebrates scoring against Cardiff with team-mate Shola Ameobi, but Trotters players haven't been paid for the month of November
Besides the club, new owners would also get the Macron Stadium (above), training ground, academy and hotel
Bolton Wanderers are rock bottom of the Championship with just one win to show for the entire season
Loyal Bolton fans will be desperate to avoid asset-strippers getting their hands on the club at a low price and using it to make profits on its property value rather than run it as a football club.
If Bolton can get through to next summer, they will be able to make big savings with high-earners like David Wheater who is on £20,000-a-week becoming out-of-contract.
It is possible they could also sell midfielder Mark Davies in January who has 18 months left on his contract and is valued at £1million.
Publicly, Birch has refused to discuss the price tag on the club, saying: 'I wouldn't want to compromise the current negotiations, but Eddie is making it very attractive.'
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