Black Cats chairman Stewart Donald has agreed to sell his majority stake just a year after buying the League One club from Ellis Short.
The Times claim US investment firm MSD Partners’ Glen Fuhrman, Rob Platek and John Phelan are part of a consortium looking to complete a takeover of Sunderland.
MSD Partners is a private investment firm that manages the capital of Michael Dell, the founder and chief executive of Dell Technologies.
Dell was named the 25th richest man in the world in Forbes’ most recent rich list. It is understood he will be a passive investor while Fuhrman, Platek and Phelan are inject money in a personal capacity.
LIVE on talkSPORT
Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this week
- Norwich vs Chelsea (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Derby vs West Brom (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Sheffield United vs Leicester (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Liverpool vs Arsenal (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Swansea vs Birmingham (Sunday, 12pm) – talkSPORT 2
The quartet will undertake the EFL’s fit and proper test before officially buying the club.
Donald and executive director Charlie Methven are expected to remain at the Stadium of Light after the takeover, keeping minor shares but conceding control on club decisions.
Fuhrman, Platek, Phelan and Dell have been keen to buy Sunderland following encouraging talks with Methven.
Sunderland came within inches of sealing an immediate return to the Championship last season, but were undone by a last-minute goal against Charlton in the League One play-off final.