Wembley Stadium Sale Backed by FA Board With Council Meeting Set for Next Month

England's Wembley Stadium is closer to being sold, following the proposal being discussed by the Football Association's board, as reported by the BBC.

Fulham owner Shahid Khan has made a £600m offer for the stadium, where he intends to move his NFL side, the Jacksonville Jaguars. The FA have plans to use profits from the sale to fund grassroots facilities, with the move unanimously backed by the board.

If the sale were to go through, the FA would retain rights to the £250m-£300m valued Wembley hospitality venture, while it has been agreed that the facilities will continue to host showpiece events such as England international home games and domestic cup finals.

According to BBC's report, the potential sale was discussed by the FA's board on Thursday, but it will be further perused by the 127-member FA council on October 11 in an attempt to determine a final outcome. The council - a body made up of Premier League, Football League and county FA representatives, among others - does not have the power to accept or reject Khan's offer, however.

"The sale of Wembley Stadium, the negotiated protections and an outlined plan to invest £600m into football community facilities, were presented and discussed at the FA board meeting today," an FA spokesperson said in a statement.

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"Following on from this discussion, the FA board has agreed to take the presentation to the FA Council to get its input now that the full facts are known."

The FA had previously vowed not to give Wembley up without a consensus within the English game and it appears that the move has seen very little opposition.

"This is an opportunity to unleash an unprecedented amount of investment into community football," FA chief executive Martin Glenn says. "Receiving an offer to sell Wembley Stadium is not a 'betrayal'. It is not selling the 'soul of the game'."

Khan has also stated that he feels encouraged by the outcome of the latest meeting and claims that an agreement will be very beneficial to English football and its development.

Former Manchester United defender and current pundit Gary Neville, though, disagrees with the notion and has labelled it "ridiculous."

"The FA feels to fund the grassroots programme, they have to sell a national asset - it's quite simply ridiculous," Neville declared. "Don't sell Wembley when you can place a levy on agents' fees."