SWANSEA City director Mel Nurse offered around £400,000 to former chairman Mike Lewis to save the club before he handed the reins to axeman Tony Petty.

Property owner Mr Nurse, a one-time Swansea player, put forward the sum last August to keep the club functioning as Lewis searched for new investors.

But Mr Lewis rejected the offer because, he said, Nurse would be throwing his money away.

"Mel did offer the club money and it was a sincere offer, but I told him he would just be pouring it down a black hole," said Lewis, who has been warned by police to keep a low profile since Mr Petty took over.

"Mel earned peanuts when he was playing football and he has had to work hard for his money.

"There was no way I was going to let him throw that money away. It just wouldn't have been right.

"I remember the day Mel made his offer. It was on Swansea City's golf day and it brought a tear to my eye because at that stage I was getting a no from everybody.

"I sat down with Mel and discussed the offer with him. My initial reaction was to take the money, but I could never face him again if things went wrong." Mr Nurse criticised Mr Lewis for not consulting the rest of the board before selling to Mr Petty.

The 64-year-old insisted he was prepared to keep the club alive and said the decision to hand control to Mr Petty was wrong.

"I offered what to me is a substantial amount of money to carry the club forward until such time it would be taken over by the appropriate person," said Mr Nurse.

"I would have done whatever was needed to help Swansea survive and move forward.

"But Mike must have felt Mr Petty would take Swansea forward better than I could.

"I would think Mike, realising it takes a lot of money to run a football club, was attracted to what Mr Petty was offering.

"He must have thought he would put money in and all the tie-ups with Australia must have sounded great.

"On the basis of what has happened — how the business has been run — I think Mike has made a mistake."

Mr Nurse is the only director from the Lewis era who remains on the board.

Financial director Martin Burgess, Professor David Farmer and Mike Lewis have all gone during Mr Petty's controversial reign.

Mr Lewis is believed to be taking legal advice over a technicality in the sale to Mr Petty.

If he is successful, ownership of the club could transfer back to him.