As Tony Adams gave warning that he would walk out of Portsmouth if star players were sold in January, a South African consortium was said to be closing in on a formal takeover offer for the Barclays Premier League club.

Mike Makaab, who claims to be one of the intermediaries involved in the prospective deal, would not disclose the name of the backers but said that he was “confident the bid will be made within 14 days”.

Makaab is managing director of the soccer division of Prosport International, a sports management company whose majority shareholder is Greg James. Makaab said that talks held nine days ago by James, the chief executive of Central Rand Gold, the South African gold-mining company, with Portsmouth were coincidental. Pini Zahavi, the Israeli agent who has worked with Makaab on transfer deals at Portsmouth, was at the meeting. “James was there to explore synergies between his JAG sports foundation and Portsmouth’s strong community-oriented development programme,” Makaab said.

Prosport was an agent in a potential takeover of Coventry and Orrell, the rugby union clubs, in 2004. The group included Johan Rupert, one of South Africa’s richest men and son of Anton Rupert, the tobacco tycoon. When Rupert was linked with a takeover of Blackburn Rovers, he said he did not think money could be made from owning an English football club.

Adams, the Portsmouth manager, said that he would not allow Jermain Defoe, the forward, to leave. “He’s a threat and there will be big clubs trying to get him in January but hands off, he’s mine and he’s going to keep me in a job,” Adams said.

“The owner [Alexandre Gaydamak] is totally supportive. Everyone who I want stays, or I don’t do the job. [Gaydamak] calls me and says, ‘What can I do for you’ and I say, ‘Leave Jermain Defoe where he is.’ ‘No problem,’ he says. He’s totally behind me.”

Lassana Diarra is awaiting the results of a scan and could be out for three weeks after he was taken off with an ankle injury during the draw with West Ham United on Saturday.