Avkreftet i YEP
Nottingham Forest have ruled out an audacious move to prise Neil Warnock from Leeds United, despite confirming that a buy-out is on the cards at the City Ground.
Forest, like Leeds, are on the verge of a takeover and the club’s would-be owners were strongly rumoured to be planning a raid to appoint Warnock as manager once their deal was rubber-stamped.
Current Forest boss Steve Cotterill looks increasingly vulnerable with the Championship side poised for a change of ownership but the YEP understands the club’s prospective buyers do not intend to explore the possibility of luring Warnock from Elland Road.
Warnock was reported to have been among candidates shortlisted to replace Cotterill should Forest opt to bring in a new management team.
But the 63-year-old is under contract at Leeds until the end of next season and, despite the frustration of a recent shortage of transfer funds, appears to have been reassured and encouraged by the prospect of an imminent takeover at Elland Road.
Confirmation of investment would allow Warnock to increase his activity in the transfer market. United have entered latter stages of negotiations after granting an unnamed party permission to undertake due diligence on their accounts. Work on the takeover deal looks likely to extend into next week
