Sunderland owner Ellis Short is prepared to offload the crisis club for free.
The Daily Star says, however, he will only do business with a buyer prepared to take on the Black Cats' debt of over £130m.
Around half that is owed to the American billionaire himself and it's understood he could even be willing to waive that to encourage fresh bids.
A German consortium held talks with Short nine months ago but the deal collapsed, with the Sunderland owner sceptical about their plans.
Last October, Short was looking to sell for the same price as his luxury London home, which was valued at £57m.
Since then, with the Black Cats rock bottom of the Championship, the price has plummeted and now Short just wants it off his hands.