A bid to buy Port Vale Football Club will be accepted next week, say administrators.

Bob Young, from accountants Poppleton and Appleby, said five offers had been made.

It is understood an offer from local rivals Stoke City is likely to be rejected because of Football League rules designed to prevent owners having interests in more than one club.

Port Vale supporters angry at proposals for a ground share with Stoke City are delivering a letter of protest to Vale's Icelandic owners.

I'm very conscious of the uncertainty which may be affecting the players on the pitch Bob Young

Many fans feel the planned ground share would be the beginning of a process which would eventually result in a merger between the two clubs.

Tuesday's action follows a protest march on Saturday against the proposals.

Mr Young told BBC Radio Stoke that it is important a new owner is found for Port Vale.

He said: "I'm very conscious of the frustration and the uncertainty which may or may not be affecting the players on the pitch.

"There is now an end in sight - I hope next week we'll be able to tell everybody who we're putting that contract out to.

"That's the not the end of the road in itself, unfortunately.

"We still have to convene a creditors' meeting and the creditors have to accept that."

Mr Young said he hoped the club, which went into administration in December with debts of more than �2m, would not be relegated to the Third Division.

"I've said to Bryan Horton: 'Go and get a loan player, two if you can' and we've applied to the Football League for permission to take on a loan player to strengthen the squad."