BDO has confirmed it has received three bids for Heart of Midlothian, which collapsed into administration last month, but is warning that any sale of the Scottish football club could take some time to complete.

Bryan Jackson, joint administrator of Heart of Midlothian FC and a partner at BDO, said: 'Further discussions will now take place with the bidders and also with the legal representatives of the administrators of Ukio Bankas. We would then hope to be in a position to name a preferred bidder.'

Jackson said any CVA would need the support of the other major creditor and shareholders, and there could be a delay in securing that support while administrators are appointed to those entities.

In the meantime, the administrators are continuing to run the club and supporting the manager in his preparations for the forthcoming season which starts next month.

'We all want the club to exit administration as quickly as possible but it's important not to get carried away: we're still much closer to the start of the process of concluding a sale rather than the end. We ask fans, players and staff for their continued support and patience,' Jackson said.