Morell Maison is hopeful of Chester City deal

Maison was brought to Chester at the end of December

New Chester City director of football Morell Maison says there are interested parties looking to buy the Deva Stadium outfit from the Vaughan family.

Maison told BBC Radio Merseyside on Tuesday night that a group of investors are looking at the club's accounts.

"They are one of three potential groups of investors that I have introduced to the Vaughan family with a view to moving the club forward," said Maison.

"It's not a forensic examination but they are doing some due diligence."

He added: "They represent a group of local businessmen who are looking to get involved in the football club.

That wasn't my decision and it would be unfair of me to really elaborate on that

Morrell Maison on manager Jim Harvey's departure

"They are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to present an accurate picture of the club in its current format and the potential the club has."

Maison was unable to shed any further light on the reasons behind the departure of manager Jim Harvey, who left the post on Monday.

Harvey resigned, insisting that the struggling Blue Square Premier club did not see him as part of their future plans, but Maison says that he was involved in the decision.

"I'm not 100% sure on that one," said Maison. "That wasn't my decision and it would be unfair of me to really elaborate on that.

"I think you'd need to speak to the Vaughan family to get the answers to that question.

"There is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes to tidy up the club.

"I'm not going to be alarmist but things are not perfect and I think the fan-base know that.

"There are controls that need to be put in place and there is some investment that is need immediately to bring the players wages up-to-date."

Having been at the club since the end of December, Maison now sees that the club is not operating as it should.

He feels a lot of the problems have come from having sole financial input from one person, which has mostly been former chairman and owner Stephen Vaughan.

"It's been ridiculous for a while," he said. "It's ridiculous because the club has been under-funded, under-capitalised and the club has been into administration.

"It relied solely on one individual for finance. There are a lot of things that haven't moved forward in the football club itself.

"I feel it is primarily because it has relied on one person to fund it all. The commercial department is at a standstill and the investment from the community is at a standstill."

Even though immediately it looks to be a difficult situation, the club's debt is very small and is manageable

Morrell Maison on Chester's future

Despite the problems, Maison says everyone at the Deva Stadium can have reasons for optimism as a solution can be found quickly.

"I think the future is bright," said Maison. "Even though immediately it looks to be a difficult situation, the club's debt is very small and is manageable.

"It's something that the several groups are comfortable in managing. Then it's determining the way forward for the football club and how that works day by day.

"Our main priority is getting the playing staff sorted out, getting them paid and getting this embargo lifted so that we can develop the entertainment part of the business."

Meanwhile, City's former Wales under-17 midfielder James Owen has become the latest to leave the club by mutual consent, following Anthony Barry's departure on Tuesday.