Sunderland's latest takeover bid has taken a fresh twist according to reports in the national press.
The consortium led by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and current minority shareholder Juan Sartori, remains in pole position to complete a takeover at the Stadium of Light.
But, the son of former Marseille owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus, reportedly wants a larger share in the club in order to give him more control on Wearside.
The exact breakdown of the shareholdings if the Sartori/Louis-Dreyfus deal goes ahead has not been confirmed, although it has been reported that Donald will retain a stake amounting to around 15 percent and Charlie Methven will keep his five per cent holding.
Sartori owns 20 per cent of the club and a report in France suggested Louis-Dreyfus was looking to buy around 60 per cent.
Black Cats chief executive Jim Rodwell says this takeover is the 'most complex' he has dealt with due to the size of the club, and it is that complexity that has turned it into a drawn-out saga.
Speaking to ChronicleLive last week, chief executive Jim Rodwell said: "It's a process and I get it, I have sympathy for people, but there's not a lot more you can say other than you are working through the mechanics of it.
"We are all bound by various confidentiality agreements.
"It's not that it's particularly cloak and dagger, it's just the way that business is done.
"There's no great mystery to any of it, it just takes a lot of time.
"I've done a couple of these [takeovers] and this is undoubtedly the most complex one because of the size of the business, the property that you own, various loans that are in place need to be dealt with, and who foots the ongoing costs.
"It's complicated, and it's certainly not dull - there's never a dull moment at Sunderland.
"But without a shadow of a doubt [there's a will to get it done]. Everyone is working coherently, professionally."
