Tranmere Rovers owners Mark and Nicola Palios have assured fans that the mooted takeover of the club has not collapsed

The present team’s form, the potential takeover, and the club’s financial situation were the primary topics on which fans wanted answers from the husband and wife duo during an online Q&A session with supporters.

According to reports in October of this year, pop queen Rihanna’s 36-year-old boyfriend, hip-hop artist A$AP Rocky, was a member of an investment group managed by celebrity lawyer Joe Tacopina that was interested in acquiring an 80% share in the Birkenhead club.

Since then, chairman Mark Palios, who and his wife Nicola acquired Tranmere in 2014, has kept quiet about the plans, with rumors circulating that a deal may have fallen through.

Nigel Adkins, the chairman’s manager and old teammate, is under pressure since Rovers’ on-field performance has gotten so bad that they are currently in 21st place in League Two, only four points outside the relegation zone.

Speaking to the fans, Mark Palios stated: “First of all, it is completely untrue to speculate that a deal to purchase the club has fallen through.

“We are prohibited from disclosing information about the sale because we are bound by non-disclosure agreements, which is very standard.

“These matters are complicated, and Everton serves as an example, as despite their recent claims of a completed agreement, it has yet to materialize.

“We want the new hires to contribute value and boost the club’s potential, which is why we are unable to speak openly or provide a detailed description of what is going on.

“I think that the parties we are talking to can do that and we’d rather that happened than people just come in and put money into the playing budget or put money into an ego trip or asset strip which has happened to other clubs over the yeas and we don’t want to see that.”

Mark Palios acknowledged that it was challenging to set a timeline for the takeover, but he did offer some words of encouragement for those who desire quick improvements.

“It’s difficult to identify exactly when this will happen,” he stated. We’re fairly certain that this agreement will close by the end of the first quarter of next year, but people still need to pass the EFL’s officers and directors tests and ensure they have the money to do the required tasks.

“It is up to the new consortium whether or not I stay on to help with the acquisition; if they want me to stay on to ensure a smooth transition, I will. I’ll shake hands and bid them farewell if they don’t.

The discussion started with the husband and wife discussing their accomplishments during their ten years in office.

“Our strategy since we came in has always been that at some point we would have to hand over the club,” stated Mark. Regarding what we could achieve, the question was if we could improve our standing to attract interest from those looking to take over the team and build on its greater potential, and whether those individuals would have the desire to lead the team into the Championship.

“The difficulty in that is keeping the on-field performances going but I think over time we’ve built the potential – we have our own ground and a training ground in which £3.6m has been invested and that would enable us to play in the Championship without significant further investment and that’s attractive to people who are coming in and looking at clubs that don’t have their own ground or training ground.

“Over a period of time not everything has been great but what we wanted to achieve was to get interest from people investing in the club and that is certainly what we’re seeing at this point in time.

“The club is in a better place and people recognise that – I don’t think we will go into the National League but if we did I’d point at Wrexham who were in the National League and I think we ae actually in a better place than Wrexham were.”

Addressing the club’s performances on the pitch this season, both Mark and Nicola could not hide their frustration with Rovers’ recent form which has seen them win just one game in the last seven.

Mark said: “For a lot of fans the disenchantment and unhappiness they feel is around this area and it won’t surprise you that it’s the most difficult question to answer.

“No one in situations like this can put their finger on one thing that you can fix like in a normal business and it’s all the more perplexing because this is the highest playing budget we’ve had and when you back to the optimism of pre-season and our stat to the season, optimism was high and yet here we are in 21st place.

“This happens in football and it happens all over the world in football in every league. Good players don’t become bad players overnight and good managers and coaches don’t become bad managers and coaches overnight.

“I appreciate you don’t see what I see in terms of what the manager and the players are doing to try and make themselves better and fix the problems but they do work on it and they are as unhappy as everybody else around the club and in the stands.

“Although it can be difficult to accept, there are times when you just need to remain united, examine your actions, and work to get better. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort and is not resting.

Andy Crosby will be joining the coaching staff on a temporary basis, Mark revealed.

Prior to his most recent position as manager of Port Vale, Crosby was Adkins’ assistant at Scunthorpe, Southampton, Sheffield United, and Reading.

“He brings an experienced but new set of eyes that may see things that other people don’t see,” said Mark. “No one is happy with the results and where we are in the table – they all came to the club with an ambition to get promoted and enhance their careers.

“If you believe that all of the players and staff are working really hard and that everyone is ultimately attempting to accomplish the same goal, then everyone should assist out with our upcoming three home games.

“If you go home happy on a Saturday afternoon I go home happy on a Saturday afternoon because that’s what everyone wants to achieve.”