Farhad Moshiri has been contacted by several groups interested in acquiring his majority share of Everton. To date, the group led by former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive PeterKenyon are in pole position.
There has been a head of terms agreement drafted —
essentially a non-binding document that sets out the main issues in a proposed
takeover or sale. Nobody close to the
talks expects them to be resolved imminently.
Some close to Moshiri are urging caution, counselling him
that if he were to plough ahead with building the stadium at Bramley-Moore
Dock in time for the 2024-25 season, he may then be able to sell the club for
around £1 billion — double the £500 million he presently values Everton at.
But Moshiri, who seven days ago broke his silence to
supporters to apologise for the mistakes of his six-year reign thus far and
reiterate his commitment to building Goodison Park’s successor, may yet decide
two years is too long to wait.
The Athletic understands that, ideally, the
former accountant would retain a 10 per cent stake in the club after any
potential takeover, but it remains to be seen if his conditions and valuation
of the club are shared by any of the interested parties.
Last week, Everton agreed a record sponsorship deal with
Stake.com which will mean a gambling firm’s logo again appears on the chests of
their shirts, two years after splitting from SportPesa. While it may plug a clear shortfall in
funding, the move has attracted criticism from some supporters and
campaigners.
the most high-profile member of the Kenyon group is US
businessman John L. Thornton. Also 68, Thornton is a billionaire and the
executive chairman of Barrick Gold, the world’s biggest gold and copper mining
company. Alongside Kenyon and Thornton
around the table will be American real-estate tycoon Maciek Kaminski, who is
chief executive of Minneapolis-based Talon Real Estate.
Any consortium, the Kenyon one or otherwise, would need to
ensure the new stadium project is fully funded and seen through to fruition — a
substantial commitment that would almost double the cost of Everton for any
potential buyer.
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