Everton could be sold to 777 Partners NEXT WEEK for £600m, reports
Premier League strugglers Everton could be under new ownership as early as next week with US fund 777 Partners reportedly willing to pay around £600m.
Everton under existing owner Farhad Moshiri has been plagued with discontent from fans, despite a last ditch run at the end of last season to keep the Liverpudlians in the English top flight.
But the Toffees are struggling this season. Sean Dyche’s men sit just one point clear of the relegation places in 17th with two games to play having sacked Frank Lampard in January.
Everton must stay up
Everton travel to Wolves on Saturday before hosting Bournemouth in what could be a decisive match on the last day of the season.
Miami-based 777 Partners are said to be the preferred bidder for the Merseyside club, with a new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock an impressive selling point to any prospective buyer.
The Mail reports, however, that the US fund would want a Premier League guarantee in order to complete the purchase.
Speaking to Morning Wire last month, a senior figure at 777 Partners said when asked about interest in Everton: “We’ve done a number of football deals: 777 acquired Hertha Berlin, we acquired a Melbourne club [Victory], and there are rumours we are looking at a Premier League team, so we are in an acquisition phase.
“We are looking for interesting assets.
“I am spending most of my time on basketball but we’re acquisitive, we’ve been incredibly acquisitive in the sports sector and I think that’s going to continue in the near to long term future.
“It’s a question of how many of these things can you own before you stop doing it.
‘Storied franchises’
“There’s a general investment thesis around being around storied franchises, being around places where we think there’s a lot of opportunity that either hasn’t been captured or we think we can bring value,” the 777 Partners figure added.
“For sure you can apply that investment thesis to a football club if you want to in the UK. That’s about all I can say about that.”
A rival bidder MSP Sports Capital – once interested in Tottenham Hotspur – are also said to remain in the race.
A £600m price point would see Everton way off the £5bn mark touted for Manchester United and the multi-billion pound valuation put on Chelsea when they were sold last year.
In 2021, billionaire Daniel Kretinsky – known as the Czech Sphinx – purchased a reported 27 per cent in West Ham United for £150-£180m, valuing the club at up to £700m, similar to the figures being touted for Everton.