Carlisle United fans have set up an unlikely fundraising campaign aimed at clearing the club's £2.7m debt.

Amid takeover talks with the Piatak family - who have described United's debt to Purepay Retail Limited as a hurdle to a deal - supporters have stepped in.

With a GoFundMe page whose aim may or may not be entirely serious/realistic, the FlagsForUnited group have launched a crowdfunder with a target of £2.7m.

As of Thursday afternoon it has raised £105.

"Fundraiser to pay off the Purepay debt," writes Blues fan Chris Cope, introducing the GoFundMe appeal.

"Any lottery winners or anyone willing to remortgage their 15 bedroom house are welcome.

"In the very unlikely event the target isn’t reached the money will go towards Flags for United and TheWarwickroadEnd..."

The crowdfunder appears to be a further attempt to call out the stalemate in discussions over the debt situation at Brunton Park.

United have long been seeking to agree a repayment plan with Purepay but, so far, a deal remains elusive.

The Piataks, from Jacksonville, Florida, are in advanced talks about a Blues takeover and on Wednesday issued a statement describing their "excitement" at what a new era at Brunton Park could look like.

But they also added: "While we want to emphasize that these discussions are in advanced stages, there remains one significant hurdle, resolution of the Purepay debt.

"Despite the current club shareholders’ and directors’ best efforts over the past year to resolve the debt issue, it remains open at this time.

"The Purepay debt must be resolved for this transaction to move forward. Once resolved, we believe this could mark a significant milestone in the club’s journey and an extraordinary opportunity for the club and one we are excited about."

United's debt to Purepay is a legacy of loans from Philip Day's Edinburgh Woollen Mill from 2017-19.

The GoFundMe page can be found HERE

FlagsForUnited have, in recent years, raised impressive sums for banners and flags at Brunton Park.

They also played a big part in last season's ticket donation scheme connected to the Tranmere Rovers home game.

And the fundraising group also provided a floral tribute at the Valley Parade fire memorial at Bradford City last season, after a minute's silence when Bradford hosted Carlisle the previous campaign was interrupted by some travelling fans.