Carlisle United on Purepay debt talks and Philip Day

United co-owner John Nixon said the businessman has no part in discussions over the club’s £2.4m debt to Purepay Retail Limited.

The claim came as Nixon revealed the Blues have finally held face-to-face talks with Purepay over the debt.

It was described as “significant progress” in the matter by the United director, after a long period when the situation appeared to have reached stalemate despite the club’s attempts to agree a repayment plan.

United’s debt is a legacy of loans from Day’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill from 2017-19, the debt then transferred to a new company, Purepay, after EWM went into administration.

The amount owed by the club has increased thanks to rising interest, but Nixon’s update at Tuesday’s fans’ forum raised hopes that Carlisle could be taking steps to resolving the matter.

Nixon said: “I don’t know whether you’ll think it’s significant progress or not, but we are now engaged with Purepay, which is the first time we’ve done that, over a face-to-face meeting.

John Nixon, left, made the comments at Tuesday's fans' forum (Image: Richard Parkes)

“We had a face-to-face meeting with them prior to the play-off final [last month]

“That followed on from a letter from [United chairman] Andrew Jenkins a year ago, and a letter also from Nigel [Clibbens, chief executive] at the beginning of this year.

“Eventually we managed to get a face-to-face meeting. But because that meeting took place just prior to the final, we knew it was a sort of open question as to where we would be and what our funding was going to be like going forward.

“Having got that, we’ve been in contact with them since and I’m hoping we’ll be able to move forward.

“It is not an easy one from their point of view or from our point of view, because we’ve got slightly different points of view.”

Nixon also commented on Day, stressing that the businessman was not involved in discussions.

United were instead dealing with John Jackson, who is both a director of Purepay and of CUFC Holdings.

“We’ve also had an update on the legal position of Philip Day in relation to this loan that was put in, originally from EWM, and then novated from EWM to Purepay,” Nixon said.

“We now know where he sits – he sits outside of that, he’s not involved at all. [That’s from] his legal team.

“So we’re dealing directly with Purepay and with one of their two representatives. They have two directors named, and we’re dealing with one of those directors. That one director also happens to be a director of Carlisle United.

“The meeting that I had at the end of May was on neutral ground because he was totally conflicted by being a member of the Carlisle United board.

“He understands that situation, so any discussions we have in any other aspect of the club, John isn’t involved.

“But the relationship with Purepay is ok. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but believe me when you’ve been dealing with EWM, Purepay and the fallout from administration, I think over the last month we’ve made significant progress.”

The News & Star has invited Jackson and Purepay to comment on the latest situation.

Jackson has never spoken publicly about the matter or his involvement at United.