After reports emerged that Ellis Short was prepared to sell Sunderland for as little as £50million, 'BBCSport' today revealed that the American businessman could, in fact, be prepared to give the club away.
Short was reportedly asking for around £170million when he first put the club up for sale in 2016 as a Premier League club, and this would represent a huge fall in value.
Around half of the club's debts are owed to Short himself, but the interest payments on the remaining balance, around £68million owed to Security Bank Corporation, weigh in at some £8million per year. According to the most recent figures published, Sunderland's total debt stands at £137.3million.
Speaking in November, Short said: "I may or may not sell the club in the future, that's not completely out of my control, but mostly it is out of my control.
"As long as I own it I'm going to be focused on what is good for the club, and the immediate focus is getting out of the situation we're in now."
Sunderland are a club in crisis, staring down the barrel of a second successive relegation and League One football next season, following their relegation from the Premier League in 2017.