m bid for the club.
As reported earlier this week, Mr Murray, who moved to the Island two years ago, made his offer after buying BSkyB’s 4.
6 per cent stake for £126,325, at 31p a share, which the broadcaster bought in 1999 for £6.
m.
The 58-year-old chairman now owns 42.
9 per cent of the Championship club – and City rules mean he must offer the same price to Sunderland’s 4,000 small shareholders, who own 40 per cent.
In a statement Mr Murray said the club would find it easier to attract investment by having a single majority owner.
‘The recent speculation surrounding Malcolm Glazer and Manchester United has shown the unsettling effect possible where there are a number of disparate interests,’ he said.
‘I believe that this offer, assuming it leads to my interest increasing to a clear controlling shareholding, will strengthen the company and remove that type of uncertainty.
A life-long Sunderland fan, Mr Murray joined the club’s board in 1984 and became chairman last August.
He was granted wealthy immigrant status by the Housing Committee in 1999 and bought Les Lumières on Route Orange in January 2001 for £1.
m.
Since then Mr Murray has spent millions on the 1930s property although the vast majority of the building’s distinctive art deco features have been retained.
