The controversial John Batchelor – now likely to back down on his idea to rename the football club after fictional TV team Harchester United – says he will hold further discussions with Stags owner Keith Haslam at the beginning of next week.

Last Tuesday, Haslam told Chad that the Batchelor offer was the only one on the table and that he just required proof of the would-be owner's 'liquid funds.

• Haslam says Batchelor only bid on table

The former York City owner – who took that club into administration and is facing an uphill battle to win the support of Stags fans – says he has shown that he has the funding in place to buy either just the club, or the club and Field Mill.

Batchelor also says that a meeting is scheduled with the Stags' owner and his advisers on Monday.

But in a further twist, new non executive Stags chairman mayor Tony Egginton told Mansfield radio station 103.2 on Saturday: "No sale has been agreed. He (Batchelor) has not got a meeting to sign a deal with Mr Haslam on Monday."

And Stags chief executive Stephen Booth, brokering the sale of the club, insists that no formal offer has been placed by Batchelor - although he has previously admitted that there have been discussions between the Stags and Batchelor.

Booth has also recently told Chad that he does not now expect a sale to take place until the end of the season.

Chad has spoken to other local parties over the past couple of days who are still interested in launching a separate takeover bid at Field Mill - but their plans are at an early stage.

The club is available in a £500,000 deal, plus an annual rent of £275,000 (£175,000 in the Conference) on a 10-year lease with an option to buy the stadium.

However, Batchelor says he is also prepared to buy Field Mill for the £4.25m asking price, if necessary.

On Wednesday, he told Chad.co.uk that if he acquires the club, he would immediately offer a 100% share ownership deal to the fans – 2,500 shares to be sold for 250 each.

• Share offer to fans

That suggestion was greeted with scepticism by fans, but Batchelor insists that he would make just £31,000 From the deal. However, he would also want to be chairman for a minimum of three years and take 25% of any annual profit.

But following the furore over his plan to link the Stags to Sky TV's Harchester United – and his previous business record of closing down 15 businesses, plus the York City affair – Batchelor has little support from the Mansfield fans for his takeover bid, despite the unpopularity of the current Stags owner.

Mr Batchelor has denied reports in Lancashire on Thursday that he recently bid £1.5m for Accrington Stanley and planned to either move the club, or form a new team Lancashire United, to play at Leigh.

Stanley chairman Eric Whalley told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "I met with Mr Batchelor three times, the last about six weeks ago. First he bid a million, and then £1.5m, and told me he wanted to move the club to Leigh and call it Lancashire United, and I just couldn't go along with that.

"It was a serious offer, but we've worked too hard to put Accrington Stanley back on the map to see it fade away again."
Batchelor told Chad: "There was no formal bid. Just ideas were talked about.

"It is well known I am interested to get involved at a football club again. Over the past three years, I have had talks at Stockport, where my deal was given to the fans; Macclesfield, who didn't want to sell; Chester, Rotherham and Wrexham.

"But this (Mansfield) is the closest I have got to taking over anywhere since being at York."