Exclusive: Businessman confirms Sunderland takeover interest and reveals how close he came to buying club from Ellis Short

The Hong Kong-based businessman spoke exclusively to the Echo about his interest in the Black Cats, which dates back to before Stewart Donald and his partners took control of the club in the summer of 2018.

Yu, who has previously coached and managed a number of teams in his homeland, was previously vice chairman of Birmingham City under the controversial Carson Yeung - before seeing a bid to take control of the club in his own right fall flat.

He later saw a similar move for Sheffield Wednesday fail, but remains keen on helping broker a deal for a club in England.

Indeed, his attention in recent years has been fixed on Sunderland, with Yu and a group of financial backers still keen on buying Sunderland AFC.

A deal is not close however.

While interest has somewhat cooled after limited dialogue with the Black Cats’ hierarchy - Yu and his group are keeping a close eye on proceedings.

“We have a group that are interested in buying Sunderland,” he explained.

“We have been in touch, and the story is actually quite long. Before Stewart Donald purchased the club, we were having a very close conversation with Ellis Short.