Sheffield Wednesday takeover news: Chansiri wages update, Fertitta advanced talks, Guardascione concern | OneFootball

We rounded up all the latest news on a potential takeover of Sheffield Wednesday.

It has been a nightmare summer so far for Sheffield Wednesday, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel for the troubled Championship club amid increasing hope of a takeover.

After only narrowly avoiding relegation the previous year, Wednesday made significant progress on the pitch last season as they finished 12th in the table, but the South Yorkshire outfit have been plunged into crisis after a summer of off-field chaos.

Having failed to pay the wages of players and staff on time in May and June, both the Owls and owner Dejphon Chansiri were charged by the EFL, while the club are currently under three separate transfer embargoes and have been hit with a three-window transfer fee ban.

In an attempt to raise funds, Wednesday have sold wingers Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama to Samsunspor and Rangers respectively, with the latter departing in a deal worth around £2.2 million.

However, that will only be a short-term relief for the Owls as their financial woes continue, and after reports last week that a bid had been accepted for the club from an unnamed party, we rounded up all the latest news on a potential takeover at Hillsborough.

Big Dejphon Chansiri wages breakthrough

After at least seven players gave notice of their intent to terminate their contracts with Wednesday after two consecutive months of late payments, with others believed to have been taking advice on whether to follow suit, the clock was ticking for Chansiri to resolve the problem quickly.

It was first revealed on Monday night that payments were beginning to filter through to Owls players and staff, with the club said to have been waiting on the arrival of a transfer fee to help settle the overdue salaries, and The Star confirmed on Tuesday that many have now received the money they are owed, including the out-of-contract players who have recently departed.

In further positive news, it has also been claimed that non-football staff at the club have now been paid in full, but while it is an encouraging update, question marks remain over the long-term financial viability of Wednesday under Chansiri's ownership, particularly with July's payday looming.

For now at least, the payment of May and June's wages should lift one of the three transfer embargoes the Owls are currently under, but the sanctions relating to HMRC payments and money due to other clubs will remain.

Tilman Fertitta in advanced talks to buy Sheffield Wednesday

Many names have been linked with a possible takeover of Wednesday in recent months, but it is fair to say that few have generated quite as much excitement as that of US billionaire Tilman Fertitta.

Fertitta currently serves as the US ambassador to Italy and San Marino, while he is also the owner of the NBA side Houston Rockets, as well as being the lead shareholder of hotel and casino company Wynn Resorts.

Journalist Alan Nixon revealed last week that Fertitta had made an offer to Chansiri and is in advanced talks to purchase the Owls, while he also claimed that the 68-year-old could be willing to provide funds to help the club in the short-term while the sale process is completed.

It does not seem as though there has been any further progress in Fertitta's potential takeover of Wednesday since then, but given that he has an estimated net worth of $11.3 billion, exciting times could be ahead for the South Yorkshire outfit if he was to finalise a deal.

Concerning Francesco Guardascione, Sheffield Wednesday interest emerges

While the reports of Fertitta's bid for Wednesday have been met with a largely positive reaction, the same cannot be said for news of Francesco Guardiascione's interest in the club.

According to BBC Radio Sheffield reporter Rob Staton, Guardiascione is "heading up a consortium pursuing a purchase" of the Owls, and with events said to be "moving quickly", the Italian businessman "is a name to know as the process goes on".

Guardiascione has made his fortune through his work in the hospitality and restaurant industry, but his involvement in the football world has caused alarm for many Wednesday supporters, with his proposed takeovers of Italian side Turris and Spanish outfit Sabadell both collapsing after promised funds failed to arrive on time.

With Guardiascione's son, Daniel, also attracting headlines in the past due to an alleged controversy over fake contracts, there are serious question marks over whether he would receive approval from the EFL to buy the club, but the Owls fan base will be hoping that his takeover bid does not get to that stage.

John Textor breaks silence on potential Sheffield Wednesday takeover

John Textor's name was first linked with Wednesday last month when former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan revealed that he had encouraged him to explore the possibility of buying the club, and The Star later confirmed that the 59-year-old was interested in taking over at Hillsborough.

Textor is currently the owner of French side Lyon, Brazilian outfit Botafogo and Belgian club RWDM Brussels, but he recently sold his 43% share in Crystal Palace to the New York Jets owner Woody Johnson for £190 million in a last-ditch attempt to prevent the Eagles from being kicked out of the Europa League due to a breach of multi-club ownership rules, which ultimately proved to be unsuccessful.

During an appearance on talkSPORT last week, Textor did not comment directly on whether he was keen to buy the Owls, but he did state that he hopes to see the club win the Premier League title one day.

"Sheffield Wednesday, to me, is the example of what is wrong with English football, because they should still have a chance of winning a championship every year and they don't," Textor said.

"When we say 'Oh Manchester City, they had this historic win'. Well they aren't really historic when you have that kind of advantage.