Mike Farnan's "Together Leeds" consortium will apparently beg the Football League not to ratify the Massimo Cellino's dream of owning Leeds United as it seems now only the league can stop the Italian.

Having failed to engage the hapless Bahraini bank and present club owners GFH to enter into any form of negotiation with them, "Together Leeds" will apparently petition the Football League directly with an offer to buy the club, according to the Yorkshire Post.

Whether or not the Leagues' constitution enables them to accept bids for member clubs from third parties seems fantasy at best! As far as I am aware, all the League can do is decide whether or not Cellino's past makes him a "fit and proper person" to own a majority shareholding in the club.

Contracts have already been exchanged and Cellino, who has paid a reported £25m for his 75% stake will face the Football League on Wednesday and should learn whether or not he will officially get the keys to Elland Road or not.

Legal experts seem to think that despite two fraud convictions, Cellino will not be debarred from taking the helm, one conviction was overturned on appeal and the other would be considered as"spent" under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Although Sgn Cellino faces fresh charges relating to "embezzlement" allegations, the old English adage "innocent until proven guilty" surely applies?

Cellino will fly into England from Florida in time to take in Leeds trip to a Brighton tomorrow. He will then speak to the Football League on Wednesday. He has been in buoyant mood, vowing to "go to the bank to buy back Elland Road" on Thursday and comparing his potential ownership of Leeds like swopping a Fiat 500 for a Ferrari. Cellino is understood to have sold his Italian club Caligari to the Qataris.

He has also spoken about wanting to "help" beleaguered boss Brian McDermott after their first meeting got off to such a terrible start, with McDermott being sacked by a flunkey Cellino hired only to be reinstated. Brian has also spoken of sitting down and having a meal with his new boss in waiting and hopefully ironing out their differences and putting the recent past behind them.

And so say all of us!

I think "Together Leeds" best hope of owning the club would come from the League judging Cellino not to be "fit and proper" and I'm 75% certain they won't do this. In the unlikely event that they do say "no" then GFH would have no excuse not to talk to them given the rumours the club are haemorraging money under their management.

Like most Leeds fans, I am desperate for some stability off the field and despite Cellino's massive misunderstanding of the fans' genuine affection for Brian he seems to be the one in the pound seats so to speak as he has put his money where his mouth is. Whilst I appreciate certain newspapers such as the Express and Daily Mail are getting hot under the collar over his conviction (he apparently defrauded £7.5m from the EU and given their anti-Europe stance I find it puzzling why they brand him such a criminal) so barring a typical Football League "anti-Leeds" decision I reckon he will be our new owner within days.

Photo: Action Images

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