Nottingham Forest are in talks with an American consortium over a potential £40million takeover, after scrapping negotiations with controversial Greek tycoon Evangelos Marinakis.

Forest are understood to have entered into a period of exclusivity with a party from the United States as chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi prepares to sell the Championship club after four turbulent years.

Marinakis, the Olympiakos owner, had been in talks over a majority stake earlier this year but he is at the centre of match-fixing allegations with an investigation underway by Uefa.

He has denied the charges but the Football League is thought to have held serious concerns over his links with Forest, due to the scandal that has gripped Greece football for the past two years.