Negotiations on a sale agreement between the Atlanta Spirit and True North Sports and Entertainment that would result in the relocation of the Thrashers to Winnipeg, Manitoba, continue to move slowly and may not be completed until next week.

Two people familiar with the negotiations who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the talks told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that progress continues. “All parties are moving slowly,” said one of the people familiar with the situation.

A sales agreement has not been completed with details described as “consent, owner approval, proof of financial information, etc.” still to be worked through.

“There are complex issues that take time to work through,” the AJC was told.

In typical sales involving a professional sports franchise, a consent agreement is negotiated between the league and the negotiating parties. It contains language on the relationship between the league and team and the rules for operation.

“I would be shocked if it happened by Memorial Day weekend,” the AJC was told.

One of the details not in question is the sales price and how it will be divided. According to one of the people familiar with the negotiations, the $170 million price tag — with $110 million going to the Atlanta Spirit and $60 million going to the NHL as a relocation fee are and have been firmly in place.

While the final details are being worked out, members of the Atlanta Spirit organization met this week to discuss the details of an announcement when an agreement is finalized.

Even a signing of a definitive agreement would not be the final step in the process: The deal would have to be approved by the NHL Board of Governors before it could close. The next meeting is scheduled for June 21.

Atlanta Spirit and True North opened negotiations in mid-May, shortly after the city of Glendale, Ariz., committed to cover up to $25 million in next season’s losses for the Coyotes, who otherwise would likely have moved to Winnipeg.

The Coyotes’ surprising one-year reprieve in Arizona made Winnipeg a relocation option for the Thrashers, whose owners had made it clear the franchise was in dire difficulty. The Thrashers’ owners had said they were unwilling to keep funding the team’s operating losses, pegged at around $20 million per year in court documents, and had been unable to find a qualified buyer to assume the losses in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Spirit has been looking for a buyer or investors for the Thrashers for several years, although the group has had clear ownership only since December after officially buying out partner Steve Belkin. Co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. told the AJC in February that there was a ‘sense of urgency’ to find a solution for the financially struggling franchise and that relocation was a possibility.