William Storey has said his attempt to takeover at Sunderland is "absolutely on" despite reports that Stewart Donald had accepted an offer to sell the club.
The soft drink Rich Energy founder took to social media to inform fans that his bid was at the "very end of process" and that fans would have to be patient.
It comes just days after Donald agreed a deal to sell the club to a consortium led by Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, son of ex-Marseille owner Robert, according to the Guardian
Storey said a takeover bid from Sartori and Louis-Dreyfus was "nonsense."
In response to a fan on Twitter, he said: "It is absolutely on. And at the very end of process.
"Beyond that you will have to wait for official news."
There have been question marks surrounding the legitimacy of his takeover bid, and his public declaration of a takeover at Sunderland led to increased scrutiny over his business background earlier this year.
A source at the club also told the ChronicleLive that Storey was not viewed as a credible buyer.
Rich Energy was not seen as a viable owner and had a bid dismissed for the Force India F1 team following an attempt to save them from administration in 2018.
The company then entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Haas F1 team, a deal that was later cut short.
