100% spot on shmmeee and I believe that once the JR is over and they're 'allowed to talk', CCC/ACL will formally make such an offer to SISU. That will finally put every last ball in SISU's court.
Regarding sale of the freehold to SISU, it will never, ever happen. Talk of £25m offers is plain daft:
Extract from 'A Prison of Measured Time' 27/09/13:
In any case, 100% ownership of the freehold on the Ricoh could be problematic for any purchaser, as ACL currently hold a lease to manage the whole of the site that has some 43 years still to run. Compensation for loss of earnings would be substantial and negotiations between the two organisations are unlikely to be starting from a particularly positive position. The construction costs totalled £118 million and as land values increase rather than depreciate, any bid would, under normal circumstances, have to allow for inflation. If it was even possible for an entity to purchase both the freehold and cancel the lease, the value of ACL would also have to be considered, a company with a strong portfolio of assets that supports a Balance Sheet value of around £7 million. There is also the need to account for the recently formed joint venture between ACL and Compass Contract Services UK Ltd that runs the catering side of the business, IEC Experience Ltd. This would, in my opinion, suggest a valuation somewhere in the region of between £120 to £160 million would represent fair market rates base solely on book values, but this is unlikely to be met of course. It is likely that the valuation put on the freehold by the hedge fund will be considerably lower. SISU are used to purchasing distressed companies well under market value. How much would the Council be allowed to write off on the investment before serious questions would be raised by those in opposition and by the tax payers of the City?