Everton takeover mooted this week amid 777 Partners negotiations as rival bid possibility emerges
A source “close to the talks” between Farhad Moshiri and 777 Partners regarding an Everton takeover has suggested a deal could be done “this week”, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper reported via their website on Tuesday 12 September that amid “advanced” negotiations over a sale the imminent suggestion had been counter-balanced by another “well-connected insider” who played down such a timescale.
However, according to The Telegraph both sources also claimed that Moshiri remains “open” to a “rival bid emerging”.
Sky Sports Alan Myers has previously reported (7 September) a “real and credible” option from Asia who are deliberately avoiding publicity.
Doors open
It would certainly be a surprise for Moshiri to go from a breakdown in talks over minority investment with MSP Sports Capital [The Athletic, 23 August] to an agreement on a full takeover with 777 Partners in less than a month.
And if the majority shareholder is in fact still open to a rival bid then that certainly would suggest he isn’t about to close a deal.
The sale of a football club is a complicated matter, and the MSP Sports Capital situation appears to have proven that at Everton it is more so than most.
So it would make sense for anything concrete to still take some time, and if the mooted Asian option is still on the table then perhaps they come to the fore somewhere down the line.
Everton supporters will just want something sustainable for the club to ensure their future, particularly with results on the pitch continuing to make relegation from the Premier League a realistic fear.
And the more offers on the table the more the power shifts from the buyer to the seller, so in purely practical terms it might be preferable if a rival bid, or more than one, does materialise.
In other Everton news, a player at a Premier League rival rejected an offer at Goodison because he couldn’t reach his potential with the club.