MSD Partners - who came close to brokering a takeover at Sunderland in 2019 - attempted to buy Newcastle before approaching the Black Cats.
That is the claim in a new Financial Times report, which details how MSD - which invests some of the fortune of computer magnate Michael Dell - has become a key power broker in football with loans to some of the top clubs in the country.
MSD were involved in detailed negotiations to buy Sunderland in 2019, with partners Robert Platek and John Phelan pictured at a Black Cats game. They eventually loaned money to the club - as they have done to Southampton and Derby since.
They were also involved in providing loans to Burnley to purchase their takeover.
But it could have been different if they'd been able to broker a deal for United.
"MSD’s push into English football has been spearheaded by Robert Platek, a former fixed-income portfolio manager and the firm’s global head of credit, and managing director John Licciardello. It began with Newcastle United, the team owned by UK retail billionaire Mike Ashley," the FT reports.
"When the possibility of a transaction involving Newcastle fell through, MSD was approached about the north-east team’s local rivals Sunderland."
It's not the first time the claim has been made. The Black Cats hierarchy made no secret of the fact they had looked at the Magpies when the deal was being negotiated.
MSD is now involved in providing "long-term loans" to football clubs during the pandemic, when those sources of financing might not be available elsewhere. They loaned Southampton £78.8million, according to latest accounts.
