The possible takeover of Everton Football Club has taken another twist this evening after it was claimed that a consortium led by Peter Kenyon has now been given exclusivity in talks to buy the club.
According to a report by the Telegraph, former Manchester United and Chelsea CEO Kenyon is fronting the bid, but the bulk of the consortium's funding is being provided by US-based businessman Maciek Kaminski, who is the chief executive of Talon Real Estate in Minneapolis. American businessman John Thornton is also part of the consortium.
The report goes on to claim that the group will now enter a period of exclusivity to carry out due diligence on the club. Everton have declined to comment on the talks at this stage. A source told the Telegraph : “Kaminski is the money behind the bid. There is not a lot of information out there about him, but the word is he has significant funding behind him.”
READ MORE: Farhad Moshiri has chance to back up Everton commitment after takeover talk emerges
READ MORE: Jonjoe Kenny posts heartfelt Everton goodbye message as next transfer confirmed
It is not currently clear whether Kaminski is seeking to invest his own money or funding from other business interests. Should a deal be done, Telegraph sources believe that Everton would be sold for more than £500million including the club's debt and the incoming owners would need to fund completion of the Blues' new stadium.
On Monday at emerged that Kenyon had engaged in talks with current owner Farhad Moshiri regarding a takeover bid on behalf of the US-based consortium. The group will apparently seek assurances that the club will not be subject to a heavy fine or points deduction in relation to financial fair play rules before entering into any formal agreement. Everton insist they remain compliant and have comfortable headroom regarding the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations.
Kenyon is no stranger to football club takeover attempts. His Opto Advisers company has assisted with successful buyouts of Paris Saint-Germain and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and well as working with Atletico Madrid and Middlesbrough, plus involvement with a bid to buy Newcastle United.
A former co-president of Goldman Sachs, Thornton is the executive chairman of Barrick Gold, which the Telegraph states is "one of the world’s largest mining companies with a net worth of £31billion". He is also the non-executive chairman of PineBridge Investments. Specialist advisor Klein worked alongside Sir Martin Broughton in his consortium-led attempt to buy Chelsea.
The ECHO reported on Tuesday afternoon that sources close to Moshiri are refusing to rule out a potential sale of Everton. The ECHO also understands that regardless of ownership, the completion of Bramley-Moore Dock should not be compromised and any interested parties wishing to buy the Blues would have to factor in the building cost.
