West Ham United, newly-sponsored by Isle of Man bookmaker SBOBET, could soon be sold by its Icelandic owners.
The club's owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson has taken a step towards doing so after receiving several provisional offers.
Although the financier has yet to make a final decision about selling up, he has given permission for non-disclosure agreements to be signed with up to five potential buyers.
The agreements allow the interested parties to look at confidential financial information about the club on the condition they don't disclose it.
However, they fall short of due diligence, which gives prospective buyers full access to the accounts.
SBOBET announced the sponsorship deal, which will run until the end of the 2009/10 season, a fortnight ago.
West Ham had been without an official sponsor since the collapse of XL Holidays in September, midway through a ?7.5 million three-year contract with the club.
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