The conclusion of any deal to invest in Everton, or takeover the club, is not expected before the end of the season.
Speculation has intensified in recent days amid some claims an agreement could be finalised this week. MSP Sports Capital and 777 Partners are among the organisations understood to be vying for influence at the club, though the precise terms of any negotiations are unclear.
The ECHO has previously reported that MSP appeared to have emerged as frontrunners and the New York-based investment firm has now signed an exclusivity agreement with majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri. Several leading figures were present at Goodison Park when Everton hosted Southampton in January.
While the club could be set for a summer of intrigue the completion of any deal, should one be reached, is not expected before Everton’s fate is known. Following the Blues’ draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, the club’s fight against relegation is guaranteed to come down to the final weekend.
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Moshiri has been open about his search for investment, publicly acknowledging he was exploring options as long ago as last summer. He has previously said this hunt is taking place within the context of financing the completion of the club’s waterfront stadium development at Bramley-Moore Dock. Moshiri, who owns a 94% stake in Everton, has said he can fully fund the complex himself but that support could allow him to bring outside expertise into the club.
Claims the club is for sale have previously been denied but negotiations appear to have attracted interest from suitors keen to embark on a full takeover. Among them is 777, which has influence in several clubs around the world. The initial interest of MSP, which like 777 is a US-investment firm that oversees a multi-club operational model, is thought to have been in gaining a smaller influence through supporting the stadium project.
MSP is run by Jahm Najafi, the part-owner of the US basketball franchise the Phoenix Suns, who watched Everton’s defeat to Southampton earlier this year. Co-founder Jeff Moorad, along with vice president Peter Taylor, were also present on Merseyside.
While talks appear to have taken place with both organisations - leading to some claims a deal could be completed before Everton face Bournemouth on Sunday - MSP is now the frontrunner with the ECHO understanding the firm has signed an exclusivity agreement with Moshiri. It is likely confirmation of the club’s fate will be the starting pistol for the next step in negotiations, however.
Everton’s hierarchy is understood to be focused on the club’s on-the-pitch battle as its current priority, while uncertainty over the club’s Premier League status is a significant stumbling block to a deal being confirmed due to the huge variation in its value should it fall into the Championship. The outcome of that battle cannot be decided before next Sunday evening, though should Leicester City fail to beat Newcastle United on Monday night then Everton will know a win against Bournemouth will guarantee survival.
That the season would need to end before any serious deal could enter its final stages chimes with the belief of experts watching matters unfold from the outside. “In the case of Everton, it would be almost impossible to imagine any investor pressing ahead with a deal to buy the club if they didn’t know what league that they were going to be playing in,” said Jordan Gardner, a US football investor and former owner of FC Helsingor who now works as a consultant for sports intelligence firm Twenty First Group.
“There are two totally different deals at play there, almost different businesses, if the club goes down. Revenues fall dramatically and you’ve got major liabilities like the wage bill to take into a league where you aren’t earning anywhere close to the kind of money that you were before. For a club that has already been losing money, and which has a stadium build that still has to find the remainder of the finance, that’s a completely different proposition to one that is part of the Premier League.”
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