Updated The American billionaire John Textor, who currently owns Crystal Palace, has confirmed to the Daily Mirror his return to the negotiating table to put forward his bid that was rejected back in June in favour of The Friedkin Group.
The Friedkin Group had agreed a deal to buy Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% stake but withdrew last month after carrying out due diligence. The American investors were apparently concerned about the legal uncertainties surrounding the £200m in loans that 777 Partners, the first to agree a deal, had provided to keep the club operating.
According to The Guardian, one complication regarding Textor’s offer is that he owns 45% of Crystal Palace and would be required to sell those shares to buy Everton.
Textor is understood to be confident that arranging a financing deal for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock could allow him to delay a prospective takeover until as late as January, giving him the time he needs to find a buyer for his Crystal Palace shares who will give him the profit he seeks.
His Eagle Football has invested in clubs around the world, including the Brazilian first division club Botafogo and Belgium’s RWD Molenbeek as well as Lyon in France. Textor has been looking to sell his Palace stake for a while to allow him to become a majority shareholder at another English club. He has looked at QPR and Watford in recent times.
“Yes, we are looking at Everton along with everybody else,” Textor told the Daily Mirror on Sunday 11 August.
“I would have to rationalise my interest in Palace before I could close anything.
“I am an Anglophile when it comes to football. When I see these legendary teams come along, some in the Premier League, some in the Championship, clubs that I grew up with, they have an appeal.
“They also have an appeal to our business model because if I follow these great teams, then so do athletes around the world.
“We are signing athletes down in Brazil right now because of the dream of playing on to Europe. It is important to have one of those great, authentic English clubs at the heart of our constellation of clubs.
“I say constellation not multi-club because I think every one of our clubs should be a champion. The feeder system doesn’t really work for us.
“But it does work that players from South, Central and North America all want to be here so it is important that we have a good partner in the Premier League as part of our family at Eagle.
“We will definitely keep looking until we find the right fit.”