Leeds Fans United's shareholders approve of project continuing

The organisation received 87 per cent support after asking fans who had pledged money to its cause to vote on whether the scheme should be mothballed and that cash repaid.

LFU has raised around £500,000 from supporters since launching in early 2015 with the original plan to buy out Leeds’ minority shareholder GFH, but the group’s momentum was lost after an offer by owner Massimo Cellino to sell his majority stake to LFU collapsed amid a bitter exchange of words late last year.

Dylan Thwaites, LFU’s former chief executive, subsequently left his post and the group invited supporters to vote on its future ahead of the start of this season. It announced yesterday that among 67 per cent of members who took part in the poll, almost 90 per voted in favour of continuing.

The announcement comes at a time of fresh takeover speculation at Leeds, prompted by recent talks between Cellino and Andrea Radrizzani, an Italian businessman who founded the global media group MP & Silva and who has strong links to China.