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Who said a deposit has been paid?

I 'know' absolutely sod all about the actual goings on, but I seem to recall previously, that anyone wanting to look at the books etc, needed to pay a non-returnable deposit first.

If that's correct, I'm not sure 'paying a deposit' would mean much either way, beyond them showing a serious intent to buy, if the books match the asking price.
 
I 'know' absolutely sod all about the actual goings on, but I seem to recall previously, that anyone wanting to look at the books etc, needed to pay a non-returnable deposit first.

If that's correct, I'm not sure 'paying a deposit' would mean much either way, beyond them showing a serious intent to buy, if the books match the asking price.
I've got over a thousand books on my tablet so if anyone wants to pay me a non-returnable deposit to look, please feel free. <cheers>
 
I 'know' absolutely sod all about the actual goings on, but I seem to recall previously, that anyone wanting to look at the books etc, needed to pay a non-returnable deposit first.

If that's correct, I'm not sure 'paying a deposit' would mean much either way, beyond them showing a serious intent to buy, if the books match the asking price.
As a seller I'd be more interested in proof of funds over a deposit.
As a buyer with access to a full set of accounts for a company/ies registered at Companies House, should ensure a concise Heads of Terms can be agreed against which I would be prepared to place a nominal non-refundable deposit. This more to show a level of commitment to the seller than for any other reason.
Huddersfield sold recently based on payment of agreed funds over a 5 year term, so not an unusual arrangement were significant debt is being transferred backed by a PG for the seller.
Bottom line is The Allams have demonstrated they drive a hard bargain, so I sincerely hope they do now have a strong intention to sell without which fear we could go back quickly to square one
 
As a seller I'd be more interested in proof of funds over a deposit.
As a buyer with access to a full set of accounts for a company/ies registered at Companies House, should ensure a concise Heads of Terms can be agreed against which I would be prepared to place a nominal non-refundable deposit. This more to show a level of commitment to the seller than for any other reason.
Huddersfield sold recently based on payment of agreed funds over a 5 year term, so not an unusual arrangement were significant debt is being transferred backed by a PG for the seller.
Bottom line is The Allams have demonstrated they drive a hard bargain, so I sincerely hope they do now have a strong intention to sell without which fear we could go back quickly to square one

I'd trust anyone's version over mine, I know nothing. I'm simply going by what I think I remember.
 
Yes it's been quite some time since I did M&A at Uni, but I would have thought DD would largely be completed before the deposit is paid, it's only the market sensitive information that would then be investigated and navigated once the deposit has been paid where essentially only a really hairy piece of information would scupper the deal. I would have thought the full value of the deal would therefore already be locked in, with maybe only a bit of wiggle room. Particularly for a football club, I could imagine the table position could have some impact depending on how long the takeover is taking.

I would have thought Ilicai would be trying to wrap things up as quickly as possible to get in and right the ship.

Reminds me of when the Allams themselves took over and Assem complained that because he rushed it to prevent the club going into Administration he didn't do proper DD and missed some of the hidden debt and issues with the club.

We use a Non Disclosure Agreement as a tool to open the door for Due Diligence and that is a two way street. We need proof of funds and will sometimes have to sign an NDA in order to see the proof. A non refundable deposit is used to give exclusivity and/or to weed out time wasters and there is no calculation for the amount.

You are right, DD is only there to give the buyer the ability to test the values already agreed. The buyer asks how much, the seller says this much and the NDA and DD give the buyer the opportunity to see if the values stack up. There is a level of buyer beware in all of this.