Selhurst Park: Wimbledon share the ground with Crystal Palace (JamieMcDonald/Allsport)

A meeting of the board of the Nationwide League at Connaught Place, London, was told details of the scheme today.

Negotiations between the two London clubs are well advanced, and those in favour of the merger want it to go through in time for the new, joint club to kick off the 2001-02 season.

The new club would play at QPR's Loftus Road ground and be managed by the Dons' Terry Burton. But the League would have to decide what division the club would play in.

Rangers are due to start next season in the Second Division after being relegated and Wimbledon are in the First.

A statement from the League said: 'At its meeting in London today, the board of the Football League were informed in outline of a proposed merger between Queens Park Rangers FC and Wimbledon FC.

'The board now awaits the submission of a formal proposal for its discussion.

'The board indicated that whilst they will give favourable consideration to any proposal, they must also bear in mind the implications for the league competition and for the supporters of both clubs.

'The board will also seek legal advice on this matter. Until such time as the formal proposal has been considered, there will be no further comment from the Football League or its board members.'

Both clubs have pledged to consult their fans about the issue - but it has already generated an angry response from supporters.

The deal makes financial sense because it would pool the resources of two clubs suffering serious financial problems.

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QPR are in administration with debts of about £8 million. Wimbledon have no home ground of their own, are tenants at Crystal Palace's ground, Selhurst Park, and have been playing in front of tiny crowds all season.

Merger negotiations have been in progress for some weeks and Wimbledon chairman Charles Koppel said: 'Obviously we are looking at something that would be of benefit to both clubs.

'We probably have the best relationship between two London clubs in the division, but if the supporters said no, then we would have to re-evaluate.'

'We had already planned a meeting with our supporter organisations before our game on Sunday to discuss again how best to take our club forward, including the above idea.'

But reports have emerged of an unnamed City consortium interested in buying one of the clubs.

Confidentiality agreements have kept secret their identity but the potential purchasers first tabled a bid several weeks ago and are understood to have been told to improve it.

The consortium is set to formerly declare its interest in QPR, Loftus Road Plc and Wasps RUFC on Thursday.

Another big obstacle to the merger is the attitude of QPR owner Chris Wright, the multi-millionaire founder of the Chrysalis media empire.

Although he wants to sell his controlling interest in QPR, he remains an ardent supporter of the club and does not want to go down in history as the man who let it disappear.

Wright is thought to be insisting that whatever the new club are called, the name starts with some reference to Rangers.

Wimbledon, owned by Norwegian Bjorn Gjelsten, the head of a Scandinavian business conglomerate, argue that since they are not crippled by debt they are putting more into the deal than QPR and that should be reflected in the name.

Pooling the resources of QPR and Wimbledon makes sense financially.

Without a home ground of their own and with crowds which are regularly smaller than 6,000, Wimbledon do not have spare resources. Nor do they have the opportunity to build a commercial income sufficient to sustain life in the Premiership, should they ever get back there.

Only 4,956 turned up to see their match against Huddersfield on Tuesday.

Wimbledon are building a new training centre at the Prince George's Playing Fields in Raynes Park and they have committed a lot of time and money on the scheme.

Queens Park Rangers could soon be without a training ground. Their parent company recently bought the former British Gas sports ground site in Acton.

However, Wright, who is still chairman and owner of Wasps rugby club, wants the site to belong to the rugby club. He wants it to be the base for their amateur, women and junior sections.

Wasps, at present, rent rugby pitches at the Bisham Abbey national training centre in Berkshire.

QPR must find new investment. Wright is helping to bankroll the payment of staff until the end of the season but the future of the 22 players whose contracts run out in the summer depends on whether QPR secure a new owner.

A merger would have ramifications for Crystal Palace, who moved closer to First Division safety last night by beating Portsmouth. They would obviously lose the rent they receive from Wimbledon.

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