Leeds hope to extend deal to May

Leeds United face another financial deadline today with their chief executive, Trevor Birch, cautiously confident the "standstill agreement" the club have with their creditors will be extended until the end of the season in May

However, events at Elland Road are fast moving and there remains some disagreement among creditors about their collective situation.

"By the end of this week we hope to be able to announce that we have the creditors' agreement to a standstill which will see us through to the end of the season," Birch said.

With Leeds bottom of the Premiership there is also the prospect of relegation clouding issues regarding creditor payments and any potential takeover of the debt-ridden club.

Gerald Krasner, a representative of the Yorkshire-based consortium interested in buying Leeds, said yesterday that "negotiations are at a more advanced stage" than last week when the consortium first made clear their intention to purchase the club.

But Birch will want to see evidence that the consortium has the money to back up its words along with more detailed plans before he would consent to Leeds's sale.

With their long-term debt believed to have gone over the £100 million mark, Birch also has to try to appease creditors anxious about the sale of the club or its assets. Behind the scenes they are believed to be jockeying for prime position when the club either slides into administration or is taken over.

Birch's task has been aided by the 25 per cent wage deferral sanctioned by the Leeds players, one of whom, Mark Viduka, has returned from Australia in time for the trip to Aston Villa tomorrow. Viduka travelled to Australia after his father fell ill at the beginning of January and has not played since.

Indeed, having agreed personal terms with Middlesbrough over a £3 million transfer, Viduka may have thought he had played his last game for Leeds, but Birch is pleased the striker has come back to aid a cause that needs him.

"We're delighted to have Mark Viduka back and in great spirits," Birch said yesterday. "He looks really sharp, albeit in personally difficult circumstances.

"I stated when I arrived over three months ago that I believed our best chance of survival was to keep our key players and create a cohesive team spirit to see us through to the end of the season.

"That has not been easy and we have been under enormous pressure, having received expressions of interest in our top players.

"We stand by our belief that it is in the best interest of the club and all parties that we maintain our strength and fight for our Premiership survival rather than endure the short-term benefit of cash generated from player sales."