New owners closing in on Exeter deal - Rowe

Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe hopes new American owners will be running the club by the start of next month.

Black Knight Group, which owns Premier League football side AFC Bournemouth, is in advanced talks to buy the club.

Exeter members voted to approve plans for the takeover at a meeting last month and the finer details of the deal are being finalised.

"I would hope we'll get to get it tied down hopefully before the end of this month, so I'd like to step in by 1 July with a new owner and away we go," Rowe told BBC Radio Devon.

Exeter returned to the Prem play-offs for the first time in five years by beating Saracens on Saturday in their final regular season game of the campaign.

It represented a remarkable turnaround for director of rugby Rob Baxter and his side after they finished second from bottom last season, with just four wins.

Rowe says Black Knight are keen for the club's playing side to stay as it is as they continue their bid for a third English title when they go to Bath in their semi-final next weekend.

"They've said to me and they said to Rob that they don't want us to change anything, and so I'm not going to change anything," said Rowe.

"They want success and I think we can give them that."

Rowe has bankrolled much of Exeter's rise from the lower leagues to European and domestic glory thanks to his success in the telecommunications industry.

With the prospect of a franchise-based Prem in future years, he says new owners are the best way for the club to continue to thrive.

"I've looked into what they've done at AFC Bournemouth and they've been there three or four years, they've invested a lot of money, and they're still investing money there and they're very happy with their set-up there," he added.

"The same guy that was in charge within Black Knight then is the same guy we're dealing with and I'm very excited about it, so is Rob.

"We know down the line we're going to go franchise - 2030's the idea that Prem Rugby goes franchise.

"Well, between now and then we're going to spend some money, we're going to sort out a few issues at Sandy Park, and that means money.

"Across the league we've all got to spend a bit of money to get ourselves ready and what better way - we've got a new investor who appears to have a big chequebook.

"My job is to make sure I run the business properly, Rob's job is to make sure he gets results on the pitch and then their job would be to supply the money."