Premier League side Sunderland Owner Ellis Short is "open to offers" from those wanting to buy the club but "no bids are believed to be on the table and realistically it may be a long time before any deal is done," according to Louise Taylor of the London GUARDIAN. Price "threatens to be a key stumbling block" as Short is believed to want around £170M ($214M) for the club, which currently has debts in the region of £140M ($176M). However the American financier is "said to be far from desperate to sell up and will only do so if he feels it would be in Sunderland’s best long-term interests" and the new owner can help the club fulfill its "considerable untapped potential." Those "expressing serious intent will be provided with a glossy brochure produced by Inner Circle Sports, a New York investment bank which has compiled a three-page prospectus detailing the club’s assets." These include "not only the near 50,000-capacity Stadium of Light but also the Academy of Light training ground, which is flanked by 180 acres of land with considerable potential for commercial development." Inner Circle Sports helps "raise capital to assist takeovers, company sales and re-financing, and has a particular interest in the international sports industry." In the past it has worked with Premier League Sides Liverpool and Crystal Palace and League Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. Last summer there was "tentative interest" from a Chinese consortium which approached Short but with the price "swiftly emerging as one of several obstacles, things failed to develop beyond the stage of initial meetings" (GUARDIAN, 11/30).
