New update on Everton talks with MSP amid multi-billion Premier League development
Talks between Everton and MSP have slowed down over the past fortnight regarding the club’s majority stake, according to The Telegraph.
Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi is reportedly lining up a £3.1 billion bid for the takeover of Tottenham Hotspur [Financial Times]. Najafi is the chair of MSP Sports Capital and he has held talks over investing in Everton already.
However, the £3.1 billion bid would likely fall short of chairman Daniel Levy’s valuation of the club. Levy values Spurs at upwards of £3.5 billion, but it’s unclear at the moment, whether these fresh takeover reports have got anything to do with the Toffees.
Blow?
The news probably will come as a blow to Everton’s hopes of fresh investments, but it’s not clear whether their interest in Spurs is a direct result of the cooling of talks with the Toffees.
The Toffees had been in talks with MSP Sports Capital in recent weeks, and the senior figures of the group – Najafi, Jeff Moorad and MSP vice-president Pete Taylor – had been at Goodison Park last month as well.
Liverpool Echo reported on 15 February that MSP were attracted by the new stadium being built at Bramley-Moore Dock.
As it stands, they will need to raise the offer to take control from Levy, who we all know, is a shrewd businessman. It’s almost impossible to out-haggle him at the negotiation table.
Should any deal between Tottenham and Najafi come to pass, then it’s obvious that they will end all interest in Everton, as the rule doesn’t allow dual team ownership of clubs in direct competitions.