No one is in pole position to buy Charlton Athletic despite the interest of multiple parties, according to reputable journalist Alan Nixon. 

The Addicks' current owners, East Street Investments, only completed their takeover of the club in January but it appears their tenure is drawing to a close.

The EFL are currently investigating ESI's takeover and there have been reports of interest from multiple parties.

It was revealed today that a Portuguese consortium have made an attempt to buy the South London club and have a five-year plan to take them back to the Premier League.

Former Bolton owner Laurence Bassini is thought to have pulled out of a £1 million takeover last week, while ex-Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins has revealed his interest to buy the club and suggested there were "three or four" parties keen.

Nixon has reported that no one is currently in pole position to complete a takeover and that it will not be a cheap deal.

It's not been an easy start to 2020 for the Addicks, who will be fighting a relegation battle if the Championship gets back underway but will be without talismanic striker Lyle Taylor.

Not only have Charlton fans been starved of football over the last few months but they've also had to deal with the ugly boardroom dispute that has played out over social media between majority shareholder Tahnoon Nimer and ex-chairman Matt Southall.

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The Verdict

This update is unlikely to be particularly reassuring for Charlton fans as it indicates that no party is particularly close to a deal and that it remains wide open.

At this point, you'd imagine that most will just be keen to see the back of ESI and bring to an end what has been a nightmarish few months.

You'd hope for Charlton's sake that this is wrapped up soon and the focus can switch completely to their battle for Championship survival.