A host of individuals and groups have been linked with investment in – or a takeover of – Sunderland over the last few months, with Donald looking to help push the club on to the next level. Here, we round up everyone who the papers have linked with Sunderland. Scroll down and click through the pages to see all the groups who have reportedly been keen on a deal:
5. A Singapore-based group
Another claim from the Sun - this time in May - suggested that a group backed by finance from Singapore were the latest party to show their interest in Sunderland. Photo: TY
6. Juan Sartori
Stewart Donald hinted earlier this summer that Sartori could increase his involvement in the club - especially after he failed in his bid to be elected as president of Uruguay. Photo: Frank Reid
7. Dmitriy Rybolovlev
There has long been hope that Rybolovlev - Sartori's father-in-law and owner of Monaco - could be persuaded to inject some of his vast fortune into the Black Cats. For now, though, it seems unlikely. Photo: VALERY HACHE
8. The Red Bull Group
Again an unlikely option, but rumours were fuelled in July when sporting director Ralph Rangnick told Bild that Sunderland were the mould of club his group would look to invest in were they to target an English side. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein