TALKS are taking place over the future of Darlington Football Club - but no deal has been finalised.

Rumours have grown over recent days that chairman Stewart Davies has been locked in talks over the ownership of the club.

Last night, the Quakers' official position was that talk of a deal was "pure speculation" but refused to commit beyond the end of the season.

But The Northern Echo can confirm that discussions over a possible takeover of the football club are ongoing, although no deal has been done.

However, fans continue to speculate that the chairman may wish to hold on to the 25,000-seater stadium he helped fund.

A new club owner would then need to lease the stadium if the Quakers are to continue to play at the TFM Darlington Arena.

Since the club emerged from administration, Mr Davies has transformed the club's image, turning it into a more customer-friendly and professionally-run business.

Its financial performance has improved thanks to increased use of the stadium on non-match days, but match attendances have failed to balance the books.

Mr Davies was not available last night, but only last month, Quakers manager David Hodgson spoke of his fears if fans stayed away.

He warned: "I know what Stewart has put in and it's a phenomenal amount of money.

"We are going to lose him if crowds continue to struggle and I don't want that."

Two weeks ago, Mr Davies told The Northern Echo: "We've tried everything to get people through the gate.

"We've tried cutting prices, putting on special deals, improving the match-day environment - we've even tried winning - but it doesn't seem to be making any difference at all."

A Darlington FC spokesman insisted that the club would not be changing hands before the end of this season.

"Stewart Davies is committed to the club for the rest of the season and all the fans know that," he said.

"To say anything other than that would be premature and inappropriate."

A meeting took place last week between Mr Davies and Tony Taylor, the chairman of Darlington Supporters' Trust, to discuss the future of the club. Last night, Mr Taylor said that he could not comment on the current situation or on any potential new buyer.