MARK Lawn believes Phil Parkinson will remain as City boss for the "foreseeable future" and has backed him to finish what he has started at Valley Parade.

Lawn revealed there had been no approaches from Sheffield United for Parkinson, who has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Nigel Clough at Bramall Lane.

Parkinson remains under contract until the end of next season and, despite the uncertainty surrounding City over Gianni Paladini's proposed takeover, Lawn believes the 47-year-old boss will remain in situ.

Joint-chairman Lawn said: "Bookies are usually pretty good but I think they've got this one wrong because we haven't been approached by Sheffield United at all.

"Phil is still Bradford City manager and I expect him to be Bradford City manager come what may at the start of the season. I probably expect him to be in charge for quite a few years to come.

"I think Phil looks at Bradford City as a challenge he is not finished with – that's the idea he gives me – so hopefully we can work together and carry on going.

"I think Phil Parkinson and Bradford City are well suited to each other. You look at Phil, he's had almost four years here and I can see it going on for the foreseeable future.

"That kind of longevity is unusual in football and I think we should take that on board because we've been together through the good times and bad.

"He has stuck with us when he could have moved on – and equally, we have stuck by Phil when he had his difficult run in 2013-14 and fans were calling for his head."

Parkinson is known to have his admirers among prominent members of the Bramall Lane board, who have followed his work in recent seasons.

Since being appointed in August 2011, the Bantams boss has presided over a genuine renaissance at Valley Parade.

The former Reading midfielder guided City to the League Cup final in February 2013 and to promotion from League Two later that season.

His stock rose further earlier this year when the Bantams reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1976, claiming famous victories over Chelsea and Sunderland along the way.

When asked about Parkinson's link with the Blades, Lawn said: "I've got to be quite honest, they have got a lot more debt than we have. Anybody who takes them on would be working within constraints.

"I can tell you now that the budget we had last year and the budget that Sheffield United had, there was virtually nothing between them. They were very similar."

Lawn said City would be open to the prospect of extending Parkinson's current deal.

"We always look at doing that at the end of a contract term, which has worked well every time for us and for Phil," he said.

"Phil has not come to us and said he wants an extension but if he did, we would sit down tomorrow and talk to him."

Meanwhile, Lawn revealed that City's season-ticket sales were progressing well and said: "Sales are now over 6,800 and 20 per cent of those are new buys.

"That's great, so if we can get 20 per cent new buys all the way through and people renew, then it would mean we hit 15,000. But I think if we push it on a little bit, then we should get more."