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US multimillionaire businessmen John Jay Moores and Charles Noell are understood to be in talks with Swansea City about potentially investing in the club. So who are they?

Here, Chris Wathan finds out...

JOHN JAY MOORES

Having been a computer specialist for Shell Oil, Moores helped found BMC Software in 1980, a company that went from humble beginnings to becoming one of the largest software firms in the States. Going public eight years after its launch, Moores had helped turn a £1,000 original investment into a company making $200m sales within ten years.

Born in Texas 1944, he headed into venture capitalism including the founding of JMI Equity in 1992 – an investment firm specialising in software. Two years later he bought 80% of Major League Baseball franchise San Diego Padres for $80m – incidentally from current Liverpool chairman Tom Werner – and was credited with investing to hire star names and boosting attendance.

Moores said at the time: “My goal is to stabilise the club financially so that it can be competitive on the field and accepted in the community. We’re here for the long haul, and it helps that we’re using my money and not someone else’s.”

He eventually sold up two years ago for $800m having won four regional titles and one National League championship and overseen their move to a new stadium.

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Moores invested in software company Peregrine Systems in 1989 and made $630m from the later selling of shares.

He has donated much of his earnings to others, a $51m contribution to the University of Houston in 1991 one of the largest in US history to a public university, establishing a cancer centre at San Diego Univsersity are among various payments to good causes.

Owning farms in Kentucky and Maryland, he set-up racing stable Merreibelle with long-time business partner Charles Noell and bought all of the stock previously owned by Irish-based Kilfrush Stud last year, promptly selling broadmare Immortal Verse for a European record $8.1m.

A personal friend of former US President Jimmy Carter, ten years ago Moores was recorded as among the richest 400 people in America, Forbes estimating his value at $730m; his wealth is believed to have grown since.

CHARLES NOELL

Noell co-founded JMI in 1992, based in Baltimore, having been the president of Moore’s family investment company since the previous year. He had previously occupied roles as a managing director at technology firms while also serving as an investment associate in the treasury division of American Security Bank and at Pittsburgh National Bank and handling several high-profile IT business deals.

Based in Baltimore, Noell, who attended Havard Business school, was part of Moore’s takeover of the Padres and served as vice chairman. He said of Moores at the time of their Padres control: “As much as he understands the software industry and has been successful at it, he loves sports.”

As well as his active involvement in the pair’s horse racing investment, he is a keen investor in property, paying close to £4m for Ardbraccan House, a mid-18th century estate on 120 acres near Navan, Republic of Ireland last year.