Macc Town FC deal imminent?

Macclesfield Town owner Amar Alkadhi is in “advanced negotiations with various third parties” over a possible takeover of the League Two club.

In a brief statement, Alkadhi said he hoped to update fans soon but was “bound by obvious legal restrictions”.

Macclesfield’s game against Crewe on Saturday was suspended by the English Football League after players refused to play in protest over unpaid wages. The players have said their mental wellbeing was at “rock bottom”.

Local businessman Joe Sealey is understood to have made an offer to buy the club from long-term owner and majority shareholder Alkadhi, but talks stalled in November. That came amid a dispute over the provision of proof of funds between Sealey and Alkadhi.

Sealey, son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Les, had said he would sustain the financially plagued club.

The Silkmen have endured a series of off-field issues, including an ongoing winding-up petition filed by HM Revenue & Customs that has received the backing of former manager Sol Campbell. The High Court was told on Wednesday the 45-year-old ex-England defender is owed £180,000 by the club.

Macclesfield have also been found guilty of misconduct by the EFL following the suspension of their home game against Crewe, with “potential future regulatory action” to follow.

Former Macclesfield goalkeeper Rhys Taylor said on Friday the players had no choice but to go on strike and that it was needed “to get the ball rolling and the club sold”. The 29-year-old says he went unpaid for three months one summer and the club refused to pay for his hip surgery.

“Hopefully now with what the players have decided to do, people realise what needs to be done and will stop making it so difficult for someone to come in and take over,” he told BBC Sport. “It will make such a difference in the community when someone does.”

Some supporters have expressed concern that, without a takeover, Macclesfield Town’s “extinction” was a genuine possibility.

A “hardship fund” has been set up by fans to help players and staff through the club’s financial crisis, with more than £11,000 having been raised.