WANDERERS return to the courtroom today with an impending takeover in the balance.

Laurence Bassini, the former Watford owner, is pursuing a claim against Ken Anderson for breach of contract and will have his case heard at the High Court in Manchester today.

His argument centres on the details within the Sale and Purchase Agreement he signed earlier this year when attempting to buy the club from Anderson, prior to it entering administration.

The outcome of the case will have a significant bearing on what happens next in the long-running ownership saga at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Bassini successfully gained a court injunction last Thursday afternoon to stop the sale of Burnden Leisure Limited – Wanderers’ parent company and the holder of ‘golden share’ which secures membership to the EFL – to the Football Ventures consortium.

It is claimed the group were poised to complete a deal to buy the club before the injunction was granted but they too will be waiting on the outcome of today’s hearing before deciding their next move.

If Bassini has his case upheld against Anderson, it will give the 49-year-old a claim on controlling the club - another matter destined for the court - and could also open the way to more legal challenges, not least from Football Ventures who have already invested money.

Bassini claimed last week: “My only desire all along has been to help Bolton. Now the truth can come out.”

If the judge calls for an adjournment to examine the details further the delay could impact on Wanderers’ ability to sign players in the current transfer window and would also pose potential funding problems for the administrators.

Should the case be overturned, the onus would then be on Football Ventures to complete on the club quickly – although it is still unclear whether they have been successful in their chase for The Bolton Whites Hotel, currently in administration under the watch of Quantuma.

The case will be heard by his honour Judge Eyre QC, who was appointed a specialist civil circuit judge to sit in the Business and Property Courts in Manchester and Liverpool in 2017.