BOLTON Wanderers are set to be taken over by the Football Ventures consortium, headed by Sharon Brittan.
Administrators have announced that they had identified a preferred new owner for the League One club.
Final offers were received from five parties before the deadline.
The successful bid met the criteria outlined by the administrators, including proof of funds for the next two years and EFL approval.
It has not yet been publicly confirmed who the new owners will be, but Paul Appleton of administrators David Rubin & Partners have released a statement which confirms progress has been made and that a full announcement will be made in the “very near future”.
He said "I want to keep Bolton fans up to speed with the process in terms of revealing the preferred bidder for the club as I'm aware of the uncertainty of the situation as far as supporters are concerned.
"We are very close to finalising the Heads of Terms agreement and are working towards a completion date of next week. But, as everybody must be aware, this is a hugely important deal in the history of the club and it is vital that nothing is hurried or overlooked.
"Lawyers from all sides are fine-tuning the agreement and I would expect to be able to make a fuller statement in the very near future.
"Until then, supporters can rest assured we are doing everything in our power to ensure the future of Bolton Wanderers is secured."
Wanderers went into administration at the end of a tumultuous season which saw problems on and off the field, and culminated in relegation from the Championship.
A winding-up petition against the club over an unpaid tax bill was suspended by the High Court after the club went into administration, and an emergency food bank was set up to help out staff who had not been paid.
Bolton, who will start next season in League One with a 12-point deduction, have also released a list of the 14 players that remain contracted to the club, including goalkeeper Ben Alnwick and Northern Ireland striker Josh Magennis.
Contracted players: Ben Alnwick, Jordan Boon*, Eddie Brown*, Luca Connell, Ronan Darcy, Liam Edwards*, Connor Hall, Jason Lowe, Josh Magennis, Remi Matthews, Luke Murphy, Erhun Oztumer, Dennis Politic*, Yoan Zouma*
*denotes player yet to make a first-team appearance
2018-19 appearance makers not listed: Sammy Ameobi, Mark Beevers (joined Peterborough), Harry Brockbank, Will Buckley, Clayton Donaldson, Lloyd Dyer, Jack Earing, Jack Hobbs, Mark Little (joined Bristol Rovers), Joseph Muscatt, Craig Noone, Gary O'Neil, Pawel Olkowski, Joe Pritchard (joined Accrington), Andrew Taylor, Josh Vela, David Wheater, Marc Wilson
Departing loanees: Callum Connolly, Jonathan Grounds, Yanic Wildshut, Joe Williams