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From BBC Football:
The only interested party in taking over the team has withdrawn its offer.
David Elliot from administrators Wilson Field said he expected the Scottish Football League to expel the side within a "matter of days".
He has concluded that the club could not continue as a business and would be unable to guarantee it could complete league fixtures next year.
Gretna went into administration in March this year with debts of about £4m after backer Brooks Mileson withdrew his support.
Last week the SFL relegated the club to Division Three.
Mr Elliot said he would now look to market the Raydale Park ground "outside football".
"I had one offer on the table which I decided at that late stage I would pursue," he explained.
"The prospective purchaser had produced a business plan based on First Division football and so he has formally withdrawn his offer.
"Effectively we are still technically in the Third Division but I can't complete fixtures next season."
He said he had informed the SFL of that situation and expected them to expel the club soon.
Financial mess
"The problem with this club is it started off in 1946 with a group of ex-servicemen coming back from World War Two setting up a village football team," said Mr Elliot.
"Then a few years ago Mr Mileson took over and injected a lot of money into the club and it enjoyed a lot of success on the football pitch.
"But if you take away the benefactor - the person supplying the money - then financially you have a real mess."
A number of clubs have already expressed an interest in taking their place in Division Three.
Spartans, Annan Athletic, Preston Athletic and Cove Rangers are all preparing applications for their spot.
From BBC Football:
The team were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season after going into administration and have since laid off all staff.
At the league's agm, administrator David Elliot could not guarantee they will fulfil their fixtures next season.
As a result, they have now been sent down an additional two levels.
Consequently, Airdrie United will step up to Division One and Stranraer get a place in Division Two.
Gretna now have less than a week to escape expulsion from the league altogether as officials will not accept the continuing status as a club in administration.
The SFL wants any takeover to be completed by the early part of next week or they will invite applicants to replace the stricken club.
A consortium is known to be interested in the club, but it is not expected to complete a deal in time.
"That remains to be seen," said SFL chief executive David Longmuir.
"But we and the SFL had to make sure we protected the integrity of our league."
Gretna only entered the Scottish League structure in 2002 and completed a hat-trick of title victories in 2007 to complete an astonishing rise to the Premier League.
But, since then, things have gone horribly wrong for the club.
Airdrie and Stranraer lost out in their respective play-off finals but have now been promoted.
Airdrie United boss Kenny Black said: "I have sympathy with the people at Gretna, the players, the staff and the fans. But the SFL gave them as long as they could.
"Somebody up there likes us. We haven't had much luck recently, so I'm delighted.
"We would like to have gone up as champions, but we were fortunate enough to take advantage of this situation."
From BBC Football:
One of four consortiums listed by the administrators last week are set to come in with a cash offer by this weekend's deadline.
"I think there is certainly a chink of light," McGregor said said.
"We know there is a bidder putting in a very serious, considered bid together and that should be launched by the closing date."
McGregor was speaking after watching Gretna defeat Hearts in their last SPL game of the season.
He said the club are set for a visit from administrators towards the end of this week and any bids would have to go through a number of processes.
"We now have a creditors' committee who would have to have a look at that, with the recommendation for the administrator," McGregor added:
"So we are not regarding this as pulling down the curtain and turning off the lights."
Aurélien Collin, Mickael Buscher, Henry Makinwa, David Mathieson, David Bingham, Mark Birch, Erik Paartalu and Michael Tait have been axed.
The latter four players were on loan to other clubs.
Operations director Craig Mileson, son of Brooks Mileson, is also out along with 13 youth players.
Chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland, Fraser Wishart, said he has serious concerns regarding the employment prospects of the out-of-work players.
"We've finally reached the stage I've been warning for the last couple of weeks; that players are being hit with strict deadlines to find new employment," Wishart told BBC Scotland.
"We've made progress with the help of Gordon Smith at the SFA with regard to dispensation from Fifa, but we only have a few days now.
"There is a real possibility that players could be made redundant, unemployed and left high-and-dry come April and will not be able to find employment at new clubs."
It was Mileson's ill-health and withdrawal of financial backing for the relegation-bound Scottish Premier League club that led to its slide into administration two weeks ago.
A formal redundancy letter has also been received by former chief executive Graeme Muir, two weeks after he told the club he was quitting.
The 21-year-old Paartalu said: "We've got half our week's wages today.
"From what I've heard, I don't think we'll get paid any more. It depends on what happens to the club for next season.
"There's about five or six players but about five or six other staff members that are being let go.
"I really feel for the boys who have got families to look after and mortgages to pay. It's really disappointing.
"The transfer window for free agents closes on 31 March in Scotland and 27 March for clubs in England, so it's a bit of a rush now for everyone to try to find a club and get sorted for next season.
"We're all trying to get dispensation from Fifa."
But world football's governing body has told the Scottish FA that any Gretna player who wants to sign for another club must make an application through that club's national association.
Defender Collin could now join Championship outfit Barnsley.
But redundancy raises a question mark about forward Bingham's loan at Cowdenbeath, while defender Paartalu is at Stirling Albion and Birch and Tait at Newcastle Blue Star.
Innes, who had helped Gretna rise from Division Three to Scotland's top flight after leaving Dundee United, has been linked with First Division Morton.
"I've had three and a bit fantastic years at Gretna, but now I'll have to look for pastures new," said the 31-year-old defender.
Gretna had on Tuesday agreed to release midfielder Fabian Yantorno, who had been their best player this season until he suffered injury in January, because they could no longer afford his medical treatment.
Community coaches Kevin Somerville, Darren Edmondson, Paul Menlove, Ross Murray, David Bradbury and Kenni Dinnell were axed on Wednesday morning.
Innes had earlier accused the administrator of doing a U-turn after last week saying that contracts would be honoured until the end of the season.
Administrator David Elliott, of Wilson Field, had made promising noises about Gretna's hopes of survival before Sunday's fixture against Celtic after money was received from the SPL.
But he will have hoped for a larger crowd than the 3,500 who turned up at Livingston's Almondvale Stadium, which hosted the game because of drainage problems at Fir Park.
And his latest statement has placed new doubt on Gretna's ability to survive until the end of the season.
"Discussions are continuing with the SPL to facilitate the completion of fixtures to the end of the season," it said.
However, the league said there was nothing to suggest that Saturday's visit to St Mirren Park would not go ahead.
From BBC Football:
Illness to owner Brooks Mileson has cut off his supply of cash, with the club stranded at the foot of the table.
It will mean a 10-point penalty and almost certain relegation from the SPL, while their players face the possibility of redundancy.
"The players are in good spirits but they are in limbo," said players' union chief executive Fraser Wishart.
"The players don't want their futures played out in the press, they are looking for clarity and they had a barrage of questions for me.
"I'm guessing that there will be casualties but we hope that they are kept to a minimum."
Motherwell, Dundee and Livingston have all called in administrators in recent years, with players losing their jobs.
Those sides survived the hard times and the SPL expects Gretna to stay in business at least until the end of the season.
The league has stressed clubs in such positions can apply for loans recoverable from prize money.
League secretary Iain Blair said at the weekend: "What has happened over the last four or five years is clubs have been able to apply to the SPL for a loan during the season on the basis the loan is recovered from fees they'd get later on in the season.
"We very much expect Gretna to fulfil their fixtures and be there at the end of the season.
"I can't foresee, given how close we are to the end of the season, a mechanism which would see Gretna go out of business."
A statement from the club read: "In 2003, Brooks Mileson became the owner of Gretna Football Club.
"His financing has enabled the club to achieve unprecedented success in Scottish football.
"However, due to ill heath, he is currently not in a position to facilitate further funding.
"Following a board meeting on 7 March, the directors passed a resolution to place the club into administration and a formal notice of intention was filed in the Court of Session in Edinburgh this morning.
"We anticipate that administrators will be appointed in the next few days."
The points deduction will not be triggered until an administrator is appointed and may not take place until after Tuesday's home game with St Mirren.
Gretna are currently 11 points adrift of their 11th-placed opponents.
From BBC Football:
Head coach Davie Irons and his assistant Derek Collins left the club on Tuesday to take over at Morton.
That came the day after it emerged that staff, including players, had not received their weekly wage.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Muir said: "There's always a danger of going into administration but we've had these kind of rumours before."
Club owner Brooks Mileson is seriously ill in a Newcastle hospital and he has been responsible for the payroll at the club.
Director of football Mick Wadsworth will take charge of first-team affairs until further notice with a daunting match against Rangers at Ibrox up next.
The club sit nine points adrift of 11th placed Kilmarnock in the table.
"I don't want to paint that bleak picture and we sincerely hope that, with the amount of effort that's going on between the club and the Mileson family, that administration is not going to be the case," Muir added.
"You can never say never in football but let's say we're encouraged about what's happening at the moment.
"We want to get on with what we've been good at at Gretna Football Club and that's playing football and winning matches."
Muir also admitted that everything hinges on the Mileson family staying involved with the Raydale club.
"The support and financial input that Brooks has given to Gretna has been well documented for many years," he added.
"The payroll problems have been created by Brooks being ill and getting the release of funds to get it processed.
"That's the main crux of it as Brooks puts the payroll through on a weekly basis.
"If there's a criticism here then it's that there isn't a system in place to rectify that."
Meanwhile, Wadsworth has reiterated his commitment to the club's cause despite revealing he is to be interviewed for another job.
"Brooks' health has made it a testing time for everyone at the club," he told the Gretna website.
"There are many issues to be dealt with and many problems to solve but rest assured everybody is committed to improving the current situation.
