West Bromwich Albion say that Baggies chairman Guochuan Lai still intends to return his £5m debt to the club.
In their 2021-22 season accounts, Albion made reference to the initial £4.95m loan made to Lai's company Wisdom Smart Corporation Limited during the coronavirus pandemic.
Albion's full statement referred to it having been 'impaired' in the accounts at group level by auditors.
But there is also a 'guarantee' of payment from Lai's holdings company.
A loan is considered to be 'impaired' when it is probable that not all of the related principal and interest payments will be collected.