Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is in talks with a US investment fund over taking a stake in the Blues, according to reports.
New York-based fund MSP Sports Capital have, according to Bloomberg, entered into 'preliminary discussions' over an equity sale, with MSP co-founder and chairman, Jahm Najafi, CEO Jeff Moorad and vice president Pete Taylor having been in attendance at Goodison Park during the 2-1 loss to Southampton earlier this month.
Moshiri has been on the lookout for some time with regards to sourcing outside investment to bring in fresh capital, with a considerable amount of funding for the new stadium development at Bramley Moore Dock still to be sourced.
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Earlier this week a report in the Guardian claimed that Moshiri had put the beleaguered Premier League club up for sale with an asking price of £500m, engaging the services of Deloitte to handle any interest. However, Moshiri told the ECHO on Tuesday evening that the club was not up for sale, holding the line he took when quizzed by the Everton Fan Advisory Board last week where he said that the club was not for sale but that he was close to agreeing a deal with regards to investment in the stadium project.
The talks with MSP, while reported to be at an early stage, are credible, with the US investment fund having already entered the European football market through stakes in G.D. Estoril Praia in Portugal, Spain’s AD Alcorcon, Germany's FC Augsburg and Belgian side SK Beveren. Through their investments in Alcorcon, Beveren and Augsburg they have joined clubs which also have investment from Crystal Palace shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris through their Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment business, which has been linked with investing in both Manchester United and Liverpool recently after being part of the bidding process last year for Chelsea. Other investors could also join the Everton talks.
Founded by Najafi and former sports agent and CEO of the San Diego Padres, Moorad, in 2019, MSP took ESPN's majority stake in the X Games in October last year while they also have a stake in McLaren Racing.
Speaking to the FAB last week, Moshiri said: "The club is not for sale but I’ve been talking to top investments - really quality - to bridge a gap on the stadium.
"The reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors into Everton, for some of the reasons the fans want improvement: more talent. We are close to having a deal done. It is not selling the club at all, it is just bringing more expertise in terms of global sponsorship, commercial development and a lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge."
While a sale may not be on the agenda at present, sources have told the ECHO that an investment move would likely see Moshiri find partners who could accrete a minority stake into a majority one over time, something that would allow for Moshiri to have a clear exit route further down the road while releasing some valuable capital and reducing the burden of risk upon him.
Last year Moshiri had been in talks with a consortium fronted by former Manchester United CEO Peter Kenyon and backed by US real estate tycoon Maciek Kaminski and oil magnate and investor John Thornton. That bid failed to materialise past an exclusivity period, and while Kaminski retained an interest that is now understood to have ended and he has pursued other investment opportunities, taking over Greek side Panetolikos last month.
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