Carlisle United have described the prospect of a billionaire investing in the club as "very much alive" - a year to the day they were first approached.

It is now exactly 12 months since the Blues announced they had received "genuine and firm" interest from a wealthy overseas individual.

Since then, the mystery tycoon has yet to materialise - other than our fake Sheikh, who posed outside Brunton Park yesterday with a briefcase stuffed with cash.

United's owners, though, insist they are "comfortable" with the fact so much time has passed without a deal being struck.

A Blues spokesman said: "It is an option which is very much alive.

"The Holdings board has had a conference call with the potential investor in the last three weeks where it was stated again that it is an avenue he is willing to continue to explore.

"We have seen recently, at clubs such as Crawley, that it can take over 12 months for decisions to be made, and we are comfortable from the conversations we've had that the interest is genuine.

"We can assure everyone that as soon as we are in a position to explain the interest we have received, whatever the outcome, we will do so."