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Ellis Short is ready to cash in and sell Sunderland to the highest bidder – whether they stay up or not.

But the American billionaire will need at least £200million to cover his investment over the last eight years to make it worthwhile.

And, as fellow countryman Randy Lerner has discovered at Aston Villa, selling a club is not as easy as spending millions on a team, which could be heading for the Championship and missing out on next season’s Premier League’s mega-bucks.

Short has become increasingly disillusioned with owning a Premier League club, which is facing yet another relegation battle, despite his considerable financial input since he took control in 2008.

And the Adam Johnson fiasco, which has blackened the club’s name, may deepen his resolve to actively seek a buyer.

(Image: Ian Horrocks)

Short was silent throughout the Johnson trial and sentencing, while his chief executive Margaret Byrne – who was handed day-to-day running of the club by Short – resigned after it was revealed she knew Johnson had admitted kissing his victim last year.

Byrne, it appears, took the decision to continue Johnson’s £60,000-a-week contract, a move heavily criticised by all sides in the case.

And it could get worse on the field if Sunderland do not fend off a Rafa Benitez-inspired revival at Newcastle or both fail to keep up with Norwich City, who they both face at Carrow Road in the next fortnight.

Sam Allardyce is Short’s seventh manager since he bought the club off the Drumaville Group and Niall Quinn.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters / Lee Smith)

Allardyce’s shrewd January signings have given the Black Cats a chance of survival.

But previous transfer windows under Short’s watch have been repeated failures, thanks to various managers and football directors, and they face yet another relegation fight.

Short believes his club should be challenging for Europe.

Although Sunderland are geared up for the worst-case scenario of the drop – and Allardyce has a three-year contract – Short will cut back on his funding in the Championship.

Last match - Newcastle 1-1 Sunderland: