Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has revealed that he asks all would-be buyers of the club to deposit money up front with his lawyers, amid suggestions that a Russian interested party has been told he will need to find £5m to talk about owning the Elland Road club.

An authoritative source with inside knowledge about the running of Leeds suggests that a prospective Russian buyer for the club has been told to produce £5m up front, in the last few months. Cellino said that it was entirely acceptable to ask for money to be placed with the lawyers so as to ensure that buyers are not wasting his time.

“We ask them to put [a sum] in the account of the lawyers to show they are willing,” he said. “A lot of people say they are interested. I have 2,000 people want to buy the club.” Cellino said that a group of Saudi investors had been interested. He did not comment on the alleged Russian interest or the reported £5m sum.

Cellino faces more mass protest about his ownership this weekend, with a march planned from Leeds city centre to Elland Road by the ‘Time to Go Massimo’ campaign group, before tomorrow’s home game against Reading.

The humiliating Lucy Ward sex discrimination case, which saw the club accused of creating a “sham” excuse for sacking the education and welfare officers because she happened to be the partner of manager Neil Redfearn who was also being ousted, has seen a ratcheting up of demands that the Italian sell up and go.