Wembley National Stadium Limited and contractor Multiplex were on the verge of settling their dispute about the stadium as ΢Ȧ went to press.

This week, for the second time, they called off a court appearance in an effort to negotiate an out-of-court settlement.

Under the deal WNSL is expected to pay Multiplex an additional £35m on condition it completes the stadium for next year's FA Cup final in May.

The cancellation of the court hearing on Tuesday morning, which follows a similar action two weeks ago, came as sources said an announcement was likely by the end of the week.

Multiplex made a statement to the Australian stock exchange confirming that “discussions in relation to a potential settlement between Multiplex and WNSL are progressing”.