Stewart Donald says he would like to return to a role with National League side Eastleigh if he can sell his stake in League One club Sunderland.
But under his stewardship the former Premier League club failed to get promoted out of the third tier.
"I left a lot of friends behind at Eastleigh and it wasn't a finished project at the time," Donald told BBC Radio Solent.
"So if I can organise myself in Sunderland in a way that worked for everybody, that frees me up so that I could go back to Eastleigh and finish the job that I started those years ago, then I think that would be a wonderful way for me to get my football fix.