Northampton hit with winding-up petition by HRMC

League Two club had appeared close to being taken over earlier this week but the deal fell through

Sixfields Stadium, home of Northampton FC (GETTY IMAGES)

Northampton have been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over money outstanding due to delays in takeover proceedings.

This comes after a London-based Indian consortium pulled out of purchasing the League Two club on Monday due to "a number of complications surrounding the proposed acquisition".

Club chairman David Cardoza has been in talks with HMRC to resolve the matter and expects things to be resolved by the end of next week.

Cardoza told http://www.ntfc.co.uk: "Meetings have and are continuing this week and we are very close to reaching an agreement on the sale of the club to one of a number of interested parties and we believe we will have some definite news very soon.

"The potential purchasers are well aware of all the issues, including the HMRC discussions."

There is also a separate £10.25million loan from the local council which the club must repay by Thursday, the last day of a 21-day deadline, but Cardoza confirmed that talks over the loan are also ongoing.

PA