IT MIGHT not be a strict deadline as such but the Rugby Football League have intimated that York City Knights' prospective new owners have got until December 1 for their takeover to be completed.

As revealed by The Press, a consortium fronted by sports management consultant Jon Flatman – who has previously worked with Super League clubs and the RFL itself – has agreed a deal to acquire all of outgoing owner John Guildford's "shares and associated shares" in the club.

However, there is still no confirmation that the new set-up will be able to play at Bootham Crescent as part of City of York Council's community stadium project.

Given that this ground is the only one in the city fit to stage professional league matches since Huntington Stadium was bulldozed, this would seem key to the takeover going through and the team being reinstated into Kingstone Press League One in time for the 2017 season.

The RFL have so far gone into little detail regarding deadlines but a spokesman has now told The Press: "We can confirm the RFL are in discussions with Jon Flatman and are working towards a date of December 1."

As previously suggested, that date fits in with the effective financial year in professional rugby league – in other words, when annual budgets begin and player contracts start.

It may be a target date, therefore, for the sake of simplicity, perhaps also connected to the legalities surrounding signing players on.

As things stand, the RFL are unlikely to accept any player contracts signed by Guildford given that he is pulling out regardless of any takeover going through, having long argued the council's controversial shared stadium scheme made the club unviable.

They are also unlikely to accept Flatman as the guarantor, that is until the takeover is officially completed, given he does not yet head up the club.

As such, coach James Ford has only been able to offer provisional deals to players, on the understanding they will be rubber-stamped when the club gets the green light. Having that happen on the start date of December 1 could avoid potential legal complications.

As regards playing at Bootham Crescent, the council has previously stated it had reached agreement with landlords York City for rugby league games to continue there – while adding it was "important that the ownership issue (at the Knights) is resolved and that the council and York City are satisfied as to the identity and financial viability of the Knights' owners".

The Press understands Flatman has since been in negotiations with the council, yet the local authority has refused to say whether it thinks those talks will come to a positive conclusion.

It has confirmed only that it has "met a number of interested parties in relation to the Knights", with a spokesperson adding: "The private commercial arrangements under discussion for the takeover of the Knights are not for the council to comment on. We cannot provide further comment at this time."