SUNDERLAND have insisted it is business as usual at the Stadium of Light despite further revelations that owner Ellis Short is looking to sell the club.

Short is known to be actively seeking investment and moving on is a realistic option if the right buyer comes along and makes a tempting offer.

The American is known to have already had discussions with a number of potential buyers over the last 12 months and he is aware of genuine interest from the Far East.

It is understood Short is looking for around £170m to offload the Black Cats, and there is a debt that crept above the £140m mark according to the last set of financial results.

Short is known to be using New York based investment bank Inner Circle Sports to tout the club around.

And Inner Circle Sports were the same company that brokered the deal when Short took over from the Drumaville Consortium in 2009.

It is understood Short and the investment group feel China is the most likely area to sell to, with claims a Chinese consortium fronted by the owner of Dutch club ADO Den Haag, Wang Hui, has previously had an offer for the club rejected.

The latest reports centre around a prospectus produced by Inner Circle Sports outlining the key assets of the business which will be included in a future deal.

Those include the Stadium of Light, a 60-acre Academy of Light training complex as well as the 180 acres adjacent to it.

But a statement from Sunderland read: “The Premier League is the most watched sporting league in the world.

“Its popularity and global reach means that there will always be interest in its member clubs and the information is simply a standardised document which is available in relation to any enquiries received about the club.”

Sunderland manager David Moyes and chief executive Martin Bain are trying to improve the football side of the things at the club.

After last weekend’s defeat at Liverpool, Moyes knows they could do with another three points at Leicester City this Saturday to boost the chances of climbing out of the bottom three.

Earlier this week Sunderland confirmed they will have Simon Wilson operating as the new chief football officer from January 1 and there are already discussions about how to improve the squad.

In the background, though, it has been known for while that Short is being kept up to date with any possibility of either bringing fresh money in or selling up.