Portsmouth Football Club's (PFC) administrator has revealed that the troubled Premier League club currently owes nearly £120m - far more than was previously thought.

PFC, which has been relegated to the Coca-Cola Championship, entered administration in February with estimated debts of £70m and facing the prospect of being wound up due to unpaid tax. However, Andrew Andronikou of accountants UHY Hacker Young has now laid bare the full extent of the club's problems, with more than £38m owed to previous owners alone.

HM Revenue and Customs, which brought the winding-up petition against the club, is owed £17.1m; a number of agents and scouts are owed nearly £9.8m; and unpaid transfer fees total £17.3m. Meanwhile, £1.86m is owed to players - some of whom have left PFC; outstanding image right payments amount to £3m, while trade creditors are owed £4.4m.

A letter published by Andronikou also reveals that previous owner Balram Chainrai is owed £14m, while an additional £14m owed by other clubs will go straight to institutions that advanced cash to PFC. Andronikou aims to lift the club out of administration by June and hopes to secure a Company Voluntary Arrangement; an offer for which will be made at a meeting of creditors on 6 May.

Elsewhere, Southend United Football Club (SUFC) is reported to have fended off a winding up petition after settling an unpaid tax bill with HM Revenue and Customs. Image: Ben Hardinge/Flickr