Queen's Park and SFA yet to talk price for Hampden

A general view of Hampden Park. Picture: SNS Group

However, he acknowledges that ensuring the near 151-year-old club survives is paramount.

A 20-year rental agreement between the League 1 side and the governing body for the use of the national stadium for international matches and glamour cup-ties expires in 2020 and a move to the home of rugby at Edinburgh’s BT Murrayfield stadium is under serious consideration.

• READ MORE - Queen’s Park ‘agree deal to sell Hampden to SFA’

The SFA has stated that if Scottish football’s HQ is to remain at 113-year-old Hampden then the governing body would wish to own it. However, reports of an agreement being reached are not backed up by Hutchison who said: “There was a meeting on Wednesday which involved ourselves and the SFA. It was really a preliminary discussion, both sides are going to have to go away and do a lot of work before they meet again.

“The SFA are still talking about the summer to take a decision. No date for another meeting has been set. Individuals are going to be involved in doing some work and we are going to have to do some work as well.”

The hard financial details of any transaction have not been aired, with Hutchison replying: “Absolutely not” when asked if a cash value had been discussed.

Hutchison also reckons that talk of Queen’s having already agreed to hand over the keys as not being wholly accurate, as he explained: “That is premature. We have agreed to explore the transfer of ownership of the stadium. It has been agreed in principle but that would not go ahead unless the terms of the transaction were acceptable to the club.

“That’s what I’ve said to the SFA, it’s also what I’ve said to the council, the government and the co-funders.”

The very future of Queen’s Park would be on the line should the SFA move its games and headquarters away from Hampden.

• READ MORE - The pros and cons of the SFA ditching Hampden