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It could be all change at the Stadium of Light in time for next season after reports suggest that Sunderland may have new investors soon.

Millionaire Stewart Donald took over at the Stadium of Light last year, replacing Chris Coleman as manager with former St Mirren boss Jack Ross as one of his first acts.

Mr Donald has been involved with non-league Eastleigh FC as owner and has invested in League One Oxford United in the past.

So who is Stewart Donald?

The 44-year-old is a millionaire businessman who owns Bridle Insurance, a brokers which specialises in the civil engineering and construction industries. The company is based in Whitney, Oxfordshire.

Is Stewart Donald a Sunderland fan?

Mr Donald grew up in Oxfordshire has supported Oxford United throughout his entire life.

How rich is Stewart Donald?

(Image: 2016 Getty Images)

Although he’s nowhere near Man City Sheikh level, Mr Donald is a multi-millionaire. He is said to have invested around £7m in Eastleigh, and left them debt free.

According to Companies Check, he is director at 17 companies with a current net worth of £8.4m.

Mr Donald led an “international consortium” of football investors to buy Sunderland last year.

Has Stewart Donald been involved in football?

Mr Donald owned Eastleigh for six years. In that time, the club rose from the Conference South to the National League. Their ground was also extensively redeveloped.

The life-long Oxford United fan pumped money into the Us an investor, shirt sponsor and supporters trust committee member.

How experienced is Stewart Donald?

During six years at Eastleigh, Mr Donald said he learned a lot about running a football club. He had ambitions to see the club rise to the Championship, but confessed that he naively tried to “buy” his way out of the National League.

“I thought I could buy my way out of the league before,” Mr Donald told the BBC.

“But, the reality is you just can’t and it’s just not sustainable in the long-term.”

What did Donald say after taking over at Sunderland?

In a statement, Mr Donald said: “Eastleigh and Oxford are different cases to each other and, of course, smaller than Sunderland. The similarity, though, is that there is also a lot that needs to be addressed here, and it needs to be addressed with realism, focus and dedication. For a club with one of the best fanbases, stadium and academies in the UK to find itself in League One is unacceptable.

“We have a carefully thought-through plan to restructure the club, make it sustainable and, with the help of the fans, to restore its sense of pride and re-connect it with the local community. In short, we are rolling our sleeves up to do what needs to be done to ready this club to start competing again.”

How's it gone?

Our Sunderland writer recently wrote that "to measure the progress made only on the field is to underestimate the scale of the mess Donald and Methven signed up for when they shook hands on buying a club which had just suffered back-to-back relegations".

As far as manager Jack Ross is concerned, he has not even put foundations in yet.

Donald has made no bones about the fact he enjoys owning Sunderland, but insists sentiment will not cloud his thinking if he feels it would be best served under new onwership.

With the Black Cats failing to achieve the automatic promotion some saw as a given because of their support-base and wage bill, and ignoring the institutional problems at the Stadium of Light, Donald has come in for greater criticism in the final weeks of a regular season which saw the club finish fifth.

What's happened now?

On Friday evening, Sky Sports News’ Keith Downie tweeted: “Sunderland owner Stewart Donald is in talks to sell the club... but as yet, nothing is agreed. Donald is currently deciding which way to turn.”

Later, Downie clarified it was a majority stake, rather than his entire shareholding, which he understood to be available.