Twitter’s board of directors recommended unanimously that shareholders approve the proposed $44 billion sale of the company to billionaire Elon Musk, according to a regulatory filing today (21 June).

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing stated Twitter’s board believed the merger was “fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Twitter and its stockholders”.

Speaking today at an event hosted by Bloomberg, Musk said the approval of the deal by Twitter’s shareholders was one of three “unresolved matters”, according to US news site CNBC.

CNBC stated shareholders were expected to vote on the deal, which Musk first proposed in April, in late July or early August.

He also cited his ongoing concerns about the number of fake accounts on Twitter which the social media company sought to address earlier this month by providing Musk with data on users’ devices and information of associated accounts.

Musk stated at the Bloomberg event he was also concerned about the amount of debt he would be required to take on in order to finance the deal.

Reuters reported last month that Musk planned to pay $33.5 billion in cash to fund the deal while using debt financing to cover the rest, but a group of private equity firms led by Apollo Global Management put those talks on hold.