Preston shareholder Hussein Patel is willing to sell his 6.53% stake in the club to Trevor Hemmings. The 21-year-old, the son of textiles tycoon Arif Patel, believes the takeover bid by Hemmings is "the best possible option" to give the club a chance of achieving promotion.

He becomes the last remaining major shareholder to confirm he is accepting the five pence-per-share offer from the Deepdale PNE Holdings which already has a 68.04% stake in the club.

It will take Hemmings very close to the 75% stake he needs to claim full ownership and take it off the AIM stock exchange.

Patel told the Lancashire Evening Post: "It is the best possible option for the club, and the fact so many other shareholders who have been loyal to the club over the years have sold shows that everyone sees that."