Sheffield United's long-serving chairman Kevin McCabe is determined to sell the club after promotion and step down from his role but is fighting to prevent co-owner Prince Abdullah from seizing control.
McCabe has fulfilled a personal ambition by leading the Blades back into the Premier League after a 12-year exile.
He and Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abuldaziz Al Saud have been embroiled in a bitter legal wrangle for months, however, and their case is scheduled to start in the High Court next week.
McCabe has lost faith in the Saudi royal to whom he gave 50 per cent of the club in 2013 in return for a staged investment of £10million and wants to reclaim total ownership before finding another buyer who he believes will be true to the principles of Sheffield United.
Prince Abdullah insists he is committed to the South Yorkshire club and his desire to own the Blades outright has been reinforced by promotion and the chance to satisfy his own long-held ambition to be part of the Premier League.
Unless they can reach an agreement out of court the legal process may take weeks to reach its conclusions.
McCabe will continue to be involved and assist Chris Wilder and the management team in preparation for Premier League football in August.
There are new floodlights to be installed, a new television studio, more interview areas and media seats and alterations to accommodate more cameras and better facilities for outside broadcasting. More than 21,000 season tickets have been sold.
McCabe is 71 and has been a Sheffield United director continually since 1995. He became chairman three years later, ending an era of instability in the boardroom and has inevitably developed a strong bond with supporters over 25 years.
Under his stewardship, the Blades have harnessed the spirit of the city and developed a reputation as a strong community and family club, with a policy of bringing through academy players, such as England internationals Phil Jagielka, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire.
McCabe has been ready to step aside for some time but has made it clear he does not want to abandon the club to a future under his co-owner.
Prince Abdullah has kept his distance since 2013, attending only three matches at Bramall Lane until he appeared at the final two home games of this season to see victories against Nottingham Forest and Ipswich, watching from his executive box rather than a seat with the directors.
The relationship between him and McCabe started well but soured quickly and broke down irrevocably during 2017.
McCabe decided to end the joint venture - one way or another - when he made an offer to buy the Prince's half of the club for a cut-price £5m in December 2017.
He knew this would trigger a "Russian Roulette" clause in the ownership contract which allowed the Prince to buy out McCabe for the same price.
This however would take his personal shareholding over 75 per cent and therefore invoke another clause which obliged him to buy properties which belong to McCabe - including the stadium and training ground - at their market value.
The Prince tried to sidestep this by creating a new company where he placed major a percentage of his original shareholding in order to attempt to take control without buying McCabe's properties but continue renting them under the current favourable long-lease agreement.
The two parties have been in and out of court meetings for 18 months since with no resolution.
Wilder came close to quitting last summer when Sunderland tried to lure him away as the dispute threatened to interfere with promises made about his transfer budget until David Brooks was sold to Bournemouth for £11.5m.
Keeping the manager in place proved vital and now they are back in the Premier League, with its promise of a £170m jackpot, the stakes are higher than ever as the co-owners prepare for court.