Russian consortium closes in on the purchase of Australian league leaders

Australian A-League leaders Central Coast Mariners may be sold to a consortium of Russian business with close ties to Spartak Moscow as early as tomorrow.

According to the newspaper The Australian, the group of businessmen will arrive in Sydney tomorrow to finalise the deal with the club’s current owners.

«It’s great that there is a potential buyer from Russia. They already met the representatives of Australia’s football federation and there are some positive signs. Hopefully the deal will be agreed tomorrow,» a source within the federation claims.

Central Coast have been struggling to pay its players this season and it is believed that current owners, led by Peter Turnbull, have an outstanding tax bill of up to $1 million.