Gamechanger 20 Ltd, the company set up by the US consortium currently in the process of taking over Town, has made priority Land Registry searches relating to the purchase of the Blues’ training ground, a further indicator that the £30 million deal is nearing completion.

Among the directors of Gamechanger 20 Ltd are Mike O’Leary, the former West Brom chief executive and Oxford board member thought to be driving the deal, as well as Brett Johnson, Berke Bakay and Mark Detmar, co-owners of USL club Phoenix Rising, and Edward Schwartz, who is understood to be an Ohio-based portfolio manager.

Town’s Playford Road training ground is the subject of a priority search regarding an intended purchase by Gamechanger 20, which was lodged on February 23rd by a law firm, Gateley PLC.

The Bent Lane site - which was transferred to London & Merchant Properties Limited (then known as Marcus Evans (Guernsey) Ltd) in 2011 largely for tax reasons - is subject to a similar search but only in respect of part of the site with TWTD having revealed on Friday that Evans will keep hold of part of that land following the takeover, presumably an area which has long been ear-marked for development between existing housing.

A priority search is typically only carried out in the immediate anticipation of completing a transaction, perhaps slightly ahead, but usually on the day of exchange of contracts.

It may be that a conditional contract was entered into last Tuesday for the sale of the land and in turn the club as a whole.

It is unlikely that a search of this type would be carried out unless a deal had either been agreed or is extremely close.

Photo: Matchday Images

Northstandveteran added 19:04 - Mar 3 It's how Robbie Cowling financed the new Colchester United stadium therein. He lives in Tiptree and put a training ground on farm land at the back of my house. It is now a building site with hundreds of houses on it. No backhanders, fiddles or lies about it whatsoever 😂
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 19:22 - Mar 3 Hej BlueySwede, I mostly agree with you: I did actually write, ”These people...will want to be successful.” My worry is, what happens if they are not? But you're right, of course, about ME in that he was in it for the money too. Nonetheless, he has at least kept us afloat. I wonder if the Americans will do the same if things go badly? Having said all that, I'm still hoping that things will actually go well. [Ha det gott!]

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Muncher added 21:29 - Mar 3 Coolcat- it is a matter of public record, it is listed on the “Day list” of pending applications relating to the title number. The info is there and public but not easy to find unless you specifically look for it, which I did.
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shakytown added 12:08 - Mar 5 Do people really want a bunch of stupid yanks running the club??????
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