In addition to high profile donors such as Morrissey and Salford City Council – who gave the club £100,000 – he said local people were also keen to save it.
“I’ve had people giving me donations in the street – even in the supermarket, people stop me and ask what is happening,” he said.
Visitors from Santiago in Chile, Reykjavik in Iceland and Busan in South Korea have all donated recently.
“I don’t think James and William Grimble Groves, who built the club in 1903, could ever have imagined a time when Salford Lads’ Club would be valued by people from almost every country in the world,” said Mr Holmes.
He added: “We are creating a legacy fund and reaching our target gives us a platform for longer term fundraising.”
Kevin Hegarty from Cadent said it was “wonderful” to be among some “illustrious” donors to help such an “iconic” part of Salford.
He said the company had agreed the funding to set up one of its “centres of warmth” in the venue where people could get advice and support to deal with their fuel bills.
The club has become a tourist magnet thanks to its connection to The Smiths.
In an interview with the Guardian, photographer Stephen Wright described the 1986 image of the band as “one posed shot on an incredibly dark day in Salford” which had “continued to pleasantly haunt me”.
Music fans and musicians including Noel Gallagher, who donated a guitar for auction have rallied around the club.
Salford-born musician Graham Nash, whose band The Hollies played a gig in their early days at the club, donated £10,000.
