Bates on Saturday said both parties were still keen on completing the deal, blaming lawyers for the delay.

And David Haigh, who is the deputy chief executive officer and chief operating officer of GFH Capital, told The Sun: “Leeds is like a young Pamela Anderson. It’s in great shape, with superb assets and a great future ahead of her.

“Like any big acquisition we have to be thorough and that’s the process we’re going through right now. We’re almost there and, hopefully, within three weeks it could be done.

“We are working incredibly hard to get the deal done but there are procedures and rules which must be followed.”