The joint-administrator of Bradford Bulls says the club should aim to ‘agree a deal in principle’ with a new owner in the next two weeks.
The Championship side were placed into administration for the third time earlier this month.
And they could start the 2017 season with a points deduction.
“It’s a short period of time, but we’re conscious that the new season starts on 5 February and the owner needs to bed in,” Gary Pettit told BBC Radio Leeds.
“What we would do is agree it all in principle and offer them a licence to trade and occupy, while we go to the creditors and report what we’re going to do. On the basis they approve then we’d look at finalising the paperwork.”
Bradford, who were relegated from Super League in 2014, start the new Championship season with a trip to relegated Hull KR.
Pettit said on Thursday that there were six parties interested in the Odsal club, but now believes there are 12 – with four of them being “serious”.
“Some of the groups are asking the right sort of questions which suggests how serious they are at going forward,” he said.
“Two of them are asking more detailed sporting questions and that’s encouraging.”