Who is Crystal Palace suitor Josh Harris?

He also owns basketball team Philadelphia 76ers with Mark Ein. Ein was in the same soccer team, Chevy Chase Chargers at school and both claim to be decent players despite being “short, scrappy guys”. Harris was also a mad American Football fan as a kid, supporting Washington Redkins, and was a keen wrestler in college. He retains a love of fitness, completing marathons and triathlons.

Fast forward to 2015 and the 50-year-old is one of the most successful figures in US investing. As one of the co-founders of Apollo Global Management – alongside Leon Black and Marc Rowan – he has been investing huge sums across the globe for 25 years. His most significant investments span energy, restaurants, radio and tech although shares in the firm have steadily declined over the last year. The University of Pennsylvania graduate has an MBA from Havard under his belt and is a keen philanthropist, donating more than $3 million to the Police Athletic League in Philadelphia for its youth programming and $5 million to Mt. Sinai Hospital to fund innovations to health monitoring and management, Forbes reported.

Harris has been among the string of potential investors entertained at Selhurst Park by Palace chairman Steve Parish over recent months, jetting in to Biggin Hill airport in Kent on his private plane. He was first linked to the club in the spring. It is understood Parish will retain his 25 per cent stake in the club after Harris completes the deal before Christmas as expected, keep him as the majority shareholder and bucking a trend which has seen Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa (where Harris was rumoured to be interested in buying the Midlands club from owner Randy Lerner) majority owned by Stateside investors.

So where will Harris’ dollars be spent? It has been speculated the investment in Palace – which as a club is valued at more than £100 million and rising as TV money continues to be ploughed into the Premier League – will be go towards the stadium. Around £50 million is needed to update the main stand with a full revamp costing £150 million.

In Harris, the Eagles may have found the man to finally mark the turnaround since they fell into administration in 2010, and usher them into a stable new era.