HIS name will mean nothing to the vast majority of Novocastrians, but is Danilo Iervolino the mystery man who can save the Newcastle Jets from possible oblivion?
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A self-made Italian billionaire, Iervolino has been linked to Newcastle's embattled A-League franchise, which has been under interim ownership for almost three years and was officially placed on the market in October.
A-League officials have been deep in negotiations for the past couple of months with an unidentified group of foreign investors who are interested in buying the Jets and have visited Newcastle to inspect facilities and meet with key personnel.
Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske was unable to confirm or deny on Thursday whether those dealings had been with representatives acting on behalf of Iervolino.
Mattiske was also unable to shed any light on when any deal might potentially be struck.
It was initially hoped the Jets would have a new owner, or owners, in place before the end of 2023, but any takeover remains unconfirmed and must first be ratified by the Australian Professional Leagues and Football Australia.
"All I can really say is that the club is continuing to work through a sales process positively, and we're confident that we'll get to a result in the near future," Mattiske told the Herald. "The process is confidential and as such we can't talk about it."
Whether Iervolino would be interested in acquiring the Jets as a sole owner, or as part of a consortium, is unclear.
The 45-year-old already owns one football team, Italian Serie A outfit Salernitana, which he bought two years ago, shortly after he sold an online-university business he founded for a reported $1 billion.
At the time, Salernitana had recently returned to Serie A after 23 years in Italy's lower divisions.
They finished 17th in Iervolino's first campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation, and improved to 15th (of 20) last season. This season they are last on the ladder, after only two wins from their first 19 games, and will need a minor miracle to stay in the top flight.
Iervolino reportedly paid 10 million euro ($16.3 million) to buy the club, as well as committing a further 20 million euro for immediate funding.
At the time, he said in an interview: "I will do everything to try to save Salernitana in Serie A. I've always put great enthusiasm into every project I've undertaken.
"It will happen in this football project too.
"I'm in love with Salerno, I want to build an osmotic relationship with the city ... I will focus on young players and on the growth of the club."
In another interview, with Forbes magazine, the Rome-based entrepeneur said he thrives on "new challenges".
"I need stimulation," he said. "I'm a real start-upper, so I'm a dreamer who never stops fighting."
The Jets' last full-time owner was also a foreigner, Chinese businessman Martin Lee.
Lee owned Newcastle's franchise for almost five years - delivering both a wooden spoon and a grand final appearance in that time - before he was stripped of the licence for failing to meet his financial obligations.
Previous owners Con Constantine and Nathan Tinkler's tenures ended in similar fashion.
Given that Newcastle's national-league presence has been precarious since the days of KB United in the late 1970s, there are genuine concerns for the club's future if the current negotiations do not deliver a benefactor capable of providing long-term stability.
