Sunderland owner Stewart Donald reveals club close to securing new investment amid American interest

The Black Cats’ chief has made no secret of his desire to bring fresh investment into the club in order to help the club compete at a higher level.

And having been inundated with offers, Donald has confirmed that Sunderland now have a preferred partner, reported to be an American group – who he views as a ‘highly exciting’ option for the football club.

Indeed, he feels investment could be close, and Donald is hopeful a deal could be finalised in the near future - after he was pictured next to a new-look figure in the directors’ box against Portsmouth.

"We are close,” he admitted.

“And this is really simple and it's one of the biggest tests of Charlie and my ownership and stewardship of the club - is the deal that we do.

"A lot of people will look at that, and it will tell them whether or not what we have said is actually true.

"Are we actually here to be Rodney and Del Boy and make a quick buck? Or are we going to stay here for a long time?

"Have we done a deal for us or have we done a deal for the football club?

LISTEN: To the full Roker Rapport Podcast with Stewart Donald

"We have had a massively wide spectrum of people interested in the club, and if you cut away all the chancers and everything else, when you cut that away and get down to it there have been some very, very decent people who I think potentially can do a good job for this football club and I think were very, very close.

"We've got a preferred partner, someone that we think can really do what we've talked about doing and come with us to take the club to the next level.

"I hope that we can get that deal over the line because I think it's a hugely exciting deal for all the right reasons.

“I’m hopeful we can get something over the line relatively quickly,” he told Roker Rapport Podcast.