Former Port Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has tabled an offer to buy crisis club Notts County.
Historic County, founder members of the Football League, is up for sale and has an unpaid £250,000 HMRC tax bill.
Embattled owner Alan Hardy is trying to sell up in a bid to avoid administration following the club’s relegation into Non-League.
Bidders include a consortium led by lawyer Colin Dodd, using convicted fraudster Alex May as an advisor. But now Smurthwaite has also firmed up his interest in buying the troubled Meadow Lane outfit.
Smurthwaite has the cash after selling Vale a month ago to Carol and Kevin Shanahan who own local IT company Synectics Solutions.
He is believed to have banked over £5million from the sale after fans hounded him out since dropping into League Two in 2017 and enduring successive relegation battles.
Smurthwaite was subsequently seen at several recent County matches.
He has now accelerated his plans as Magpies owner Hardy tries to stay afloat after his interior design company Paragon Interiors went into administration in February.
A winding-up application against County brought by HMRC over the unpaid tax bill was adjourned until July 10 at the High Court in London last week.
Hardy gained an extension as he bids to complete a sale but talks with a South African consortium have floundered due to frontman Terry Pritchard's ill health.
While there has been a backlash against May after he has changed his name by deed poll and was previously known as Alick Kapikanya, who has a criminal past for a multi-million scam.
Jailed in 2014 for six years for leading a gang of con artists who targeted elderly widowed homeowners from 2007 in Manchester, May enjoyed a luxury lifestyle after stealing £3.5million and attempting to secure another £3.3m.
