Sheffield United: Henry Mauriss isn't the only person to think about buying The Blades

With the English Football League yet to give Mauriss to green light to continue with his bid, officials at Bramall Lane and United World, the group which oversees their owner HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s portfolio of sporting interests, are pressing ahead with the own plans for the new season - which is scheduled to begin in less than six weeks time.

As The Star reported earlier this week, senior figures within both organisations believe Mauriss attempts to seize control of United are approaching a critical juncture, suggesting that progress must be made soon in order for his proposal to remain viable.

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However, although no approach has been made by former Newcastle chief Mike Ashley as he focuses his efforts on taking over Derby County, United are aware of several other parties who recently investigated the possibility of acquiring Prince Abdullah’s shareholding. They are thought to include a party from his homeland of Saudi Arabia, with a delegation believed to have attended a match in South Yorkshire midway through last term - before representatives of that country’s football association travelled to England for a fact finding mission at United’s academy.

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No concrete proposal was received following that trip. But it does raise the possibility that others could step into the breach should Mauriss, who would remove United from UW’s jurisdiction, see his efforts become further entangled in red tape.

The chief executive of Clear TV, Mauriss provided the EFL with documentation to prove his worth soon after Christmas. However, with the governing body known to have beefed-up its checks of late, further evidence was requested; including details of future spending plans.

Crucially, rather than actively looking to offload United, Prince Abdullah is believed to have been approached by representatives acting on behalf of Mauriss before their client’s £115m offer was tabled.

He is known to have begun working with a different financial institution in the States in order to try and speed up the process with the EFL.

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