A consortium of Russians with links to Spartak Moscow are being tipped to take over A-League club Central Coast Mariners.
The Sydney Morning Herald suggests that a meeting in Moscow held early this week will decide whether or not the cash-strapped Mariners will be taken over by the Russian group.
Central Coast have been struggling to pay its players this season and it is believed that current owners, led by Peter Turnbull, could hand over control by the end of January.