Sunderland's long-awaited ownership change looks very close to be happening, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus reportedly visiting the Academy of Light training ground today as he waits for EFL confirmation of his takeover, per the Sunderland Echo.
Louis-Dreyfus was in attendance on Tuesday night in Shropshire as the Black Cats slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Shrewsbury Town, and he was situated next to Director of Football Kristjaan Speakman.
Despite a disappointing result on the pitch, it was the most promising sign yet that the takeover from the 23-year-old was set to go through in the near future.
The deal for the son of former Marseille majority shareholder Robert Louis-Dreyfus to take the reins at the Stadium of Light has been in the works since December, with confirmation on Christmas Eve that the transfer of power from Stewart Donald to the young tycoon has been agreed 'in principle'.
But the fact he went all the way to Shrewsbury in midweek surely means that the deal is close to happening, and it could be a matter of days before it is all tied up.
The Echo believe that Louis-Dreyfus was at the training ground today and they also quote the Daily Telegraph as revealing that he plans to move to the North East so that he can have a hands-on role on a day-to-day basis - he's already believed to be making all the big decisions at the club despite no approval from the EFL just yet.
Outgoing majority shareholder Donald will remain at the club as part of Louis-Dreyfus taking over, but he will be a minority shareholder and Echo journalist Phil Smith previously revealed that he expects Donald to take a more background, watching-on role.
The Verdict
This is a big update for Sunderland fans to process as it looks like the deal is very close to being announced.
With investment from Louis-Dreyfus, the Black Cats can focus on getting themselves back to the second tier of English football, and possibly back into the Premier League - but all in good time.
From snippets we've heard already, it looks like the 23-year-old is going to be very active with everything at the club, and it looks as though all the stars are aligning for the Black Cats to make a real resurgence.