BENGALURU: FC Pune City , whose hopes of making the knockouts are wafer-thin, are in trouble not only on the field but also off it with talks of the club being disbanded or moving to a new location next season gaining momentum.

According to informed sources, the club is struggling to stay afloat with losses mounting to an estimated Rs 150 crore since its inception in 2014. "It is almost certain that things are going to change at FC Pune City next season. They were in talks with the Mumbai City FC for a merger but apparently that did not work out. Efforts are now on to find a buyer, so it remains to be seen whether the club will remain in the city. At the moment that looks highly unlikely," sources told TOI.

They also highlighted the problems faced by some of the players and staff with club delaying payments for the last few months. "This season we have heard several complaints from the players and officials about delayed payments. In January, some of them got paid towards the end of the month. Many people working at the club are facing an uncertain future and they have already started looking out for the next season," local officials said.

One of the player agents told TOI that he also heard several stories about the club's merger and takeover. "Nothing is clear as of now as everyone is tightlipped. Yes, there was a delay in payments but I heard that has been sorted out," he added.

Meanwhile, club officials admitted that there is a crisis but hoped that they will be able to solve the problems soon. "There is a liquidity crunch at the club and we are trying to find solutions," sources told TOI hinting at the troubles of Rajesh Wadhawan group, the parent company, which owns DHFL.

However, they denied that there was any talk with Mumbai City FC for a merger. "Like many other clubs in ISL we are also looking at strategic investors and this has been on for the last few years. At present, we don't have any offers, so we can't say whether the club will remain in Pune or not. We hope the club will (stay)," officials added.

Delhi to shift out of JLN

In the national capital, Delhi Dynamos, already out of the race for the knockout round, are preparing to shift base, even looking at moving out of Delhi. "The club officials have zeroed in on Ahmedabad and Hyderabad and they have already made some recces to assess the situation in Hyderabad," sources said.

The latest talks doing rounds is that Delhi owners are keen to remain in NCT though they will move out of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. "The club is now looking at options like smaller stadia like Ambedkar stadium or the ones in Noida or Gurugram," they added.

