Former Reading CEO, and current Property Projects Manager, Nigel Howe, has set a new target of 'mid-May' to get the club sold.

Howe, the man tasked with finding the club with a new buyer, was Chief Executive during the club's rise from the third tier to the Premier League in the 1990s and 2000s.

He has returned to the fore in recent months as Dai Yongge looks to sell the club. 

Originally targeting April for a close date, the property expert has admitted that it is hard to predict close dates, but is aiming for 'mid-May.'

There are believed to be two offers under serious consideration, with the club keen to agree on exclusivity this week in order to cover this month's HMRC and payroll commitments.

"Everybody asks me what the timeframe is like," he told BBC Berkshire. "The supporter groups want a weekly update, but these things don’t move that quickly. We’ve seen the purchase of football clubs take six or seven months. I would hope that what we’re doing is working through a process that will take six to eight weeks. That is my programme to get through, so by mid-May hopefully we will be sorted. I know I have forecasted earlier dates, it’s hard to understand where you’re going to end up on a week-by-week basis because you can hit things that people thought they had agreed but haven’t agreed."

If the club fail to pay any required outgoings between now and the end of the season, a new two-point deduction will be triggered on Ruben Selles' playing side.