Everton confirm stance on Farhad Moshiri and John Textor takeover talks after new stadium visit
Farhad Moshiri visited Everton club sites on Tuesday ahead of a new report about a potential John Textor takeover
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri visited club sites in Liverpool on Tuesday, but he was not joined by John Textor or any of the American’s staff as a report claims that the pair are closing in on an agreement over a takeover deal. The Guardian states that Textor is understood to have arrived in London on Tuesday before travelling to Liverpool on Wednesday to meet Moshiri, with sources close to the deal anticipating that it could be agreed in the next few days.
However, the ECHO has been told by Everton insiders that nobody from the Textor camp was with Moshiri when the wantaway majority shareholder attended a board meeting with senior executives at the club offices in the Royal Liver Building on Tuesday while also visiting the construction site of Everton’s new stadium to check on progress in what was a scheduled visit that had been in his diary for a while.
Despite the 69-year-old’s ongoing attempts to offload his 94.1% stake in the club and his absence from a Premier League fixture at Goodison Park since the 5-2 capitulation against Watford under Rafael Benitez, almost three years ago on October 23, 2021, the ECHO understands that Moshiri still watches all the Blues’ matches wherever he is in the world at any given time.
Everton’s interim chief executive Colin Chong warned about the prospect of more rumours when it came to the ownership of the club when speaking in Saturday’s programme. He wrote: “I accept that there will continue to be conjecture about the potential investment or a takeover, as well as other matters, but it is important that our supporters are not consumed by every piece of speculation – and in many instances misinformation, which may be out there. As has always been the case, we will provide updates through official club channels when there is concrete news to deliver.”
While Everton staff could not account for Moshiri’s whereabouts on Wednesday after what was described as a “flying visit” approximately 24 hours earlier, there are understood to be reservations within Goodison Park’s corridors of power over the prospect of a swift resolution being reached with Textor given the major stumbling block surrounding his current 45% stake in Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. The Guardian’s report adds that: “The terms are the same as in the offer made on 1 June in the previous round of bidding, with Textor understood to be confident that arranging a financing deal for Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock could allow him to delay completing the takeover until as late as January.”