New Delhi: AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin is reportedly once again in talks to takeover Premier League club Everton according to a report from American outlet Bloomberg. Everton’s current owner, Farhad Moshiri, who owns a 94.1% stake has been looking to sell the club for a while now but hasn’t been able to find new owners yet. Both parties were close to reaching an agreement in the summer but failed to reach an agreement and the deal was called off in July.
Fast forward to September, sources close to the American billionaire, who have knowledge of the matter claim that that Friedkin has decided to reignite the plan to buy the club. He is in discussions with the stakeholders regarding how the deal can be made feasible and how would it be structured. Reports claim that the deal is at it’s final stages now and is very close to completion.
Everton have been in crisis for a while now with uncertainty over the club’s ownership affecting the team’s on field performances as well. The Toffees are rooted in the relegation zone following one draw and four defeats from the first four games of the season. Another American investor, John Textor, who holds stake in various football clubs like Crystal Palace F.C., Olympique Lyonnais and Botafogo is also said to be interested in buying the club but Friedkin is reportedly ahead of him in the race.
Why has Dan Friedkin rekindled his interest in Everton?
Despite walking away in July, Dan Friedkin and son Ryan Friedkin were always keen on buying Everton. (Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Earlier in the year, Moshiri had been in talks with Miami-based investor 777 Partners LLC to buy the club but the deal collapsed which opened the door for Dan Friedkin to enter. The Friedkin Group, who are one of the biggest distributors of car company Toyota, agreed a deal in principle to buy out Moshiri’s entire stake in Everton but that deal collapsed as well, leaving Moshiri still as the owner heading into the 2024/25 season.
According to sources, Friedkin decided against buying the club in July over concerns about the debt that was owed to 777 Partners LLC but never dropped interest in buying the club. Everton are a club with a rich history in English football, having been one of the founding members of the English Football League in 1880 and are one of only six clubs to have never been relegated from the Premier League.
So it makes sense for Friedkin to add a club like Everton to his umbrella of football clubs since he also owns French club AS Cannes in addition to Italian outfit AS Roma. Sources close to the deal say that the deal could be heading towards a conclusion as it has been moving at a fast pace. There are reports that Moshiri might have agreed to lower the price of the deal to help pace up the process.
🚨BREAKING🚨
After failing to complete a takeover of Everton FC in the summer, AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin has re-entered into negotiations. 👀
Is this what Everton need to stop their crisis? Comment below! 👇
📸 Getty Images#pl #epl #everton #roma #football #footballnews pic.twitter.com/RPlzVnsYBg
— Football9 (@Football9live_) September 23, 2024
Despite walking away from the deal in July, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Friedkin group is back in talks of taking over the club given their interest in the summer. Dan and his son Ryan, have always been enthusiastic about buying a Premier League club and Everton’s move to their new over 50,000-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next year was one of the main attractive points for the Friedkins.
Back in June, Friedkin had expressed his desire to have a multi-club model with AS Roma and Everton sitting atop of that model. The US-based owner is facing unrest from the fans over in Italy following the sacking of Roma legend Daniele De Rossi as manager of the club, with a portion of the fans considering boycotting the debut of De Rossi’s replacement, Ivan Jurisic.
The American businessman was in talks to buy the Merseyside club in the summer and had agreed to a deal in principle but the deal fell through in July 2024. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
