Farhad Moshiri in talks over Everton deal with US businessman Maciek Kaminski

Structure of deal complex but high chance of agreement

ABSENT LEADER: Farhad Moshiri has rarely been seen at Everton matches this year with fans staging protests over his running of the club at the end of last season and again this summer.

Farhad Moshiri is in advanced talks with Maciek Kaminski over a deal which would see the US businessman provide funding for the new stadium and take a stake in the club.

Kaminski, a US real estate magnate, was part of the consortium led by the former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon that held discussions with Moshiri in June. The structure of the deal is complex and and prevailing market conditions have complicated matters but a source close to the negotiations said there was a high chance an agreement would be struck. The percentage of Everton to be bought by Kaminski remains under discussion.

The talks, first reported by the Financial Times, raise the prospect of 12 Premier League clubs having minority or majority US shareholders. A group led by Bill Foley, the owner of ice hockey’s Vegas Golden Knights, is trying to buy Bournemouth and there is US investment on some scale at Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leeds, and Liverpool.

When Moshiri issued a statement in July claiming there was “no ‘for sale’ sign currently hanging outside Everton football club”, the British-Iranian billionaire admitted he was open to potential investment opportunities that would help finance the club’s new stadium at Bramley Moore dock and to possibly selling a minority stake.

Work on the stadium is well under way on Liverpool’s waterfront, with the initial stages of the development funded by Everton’s owner to the tune of more than £100m (€113m). However, the club, who have fixed a price with the constructors Laing O’Rourke believed to be in the region of £550m (€621.5m), have yet to reveal how the rest of the development will be paid for.

Moshiri has invested heavily in Everton since selling his stake in Arsenal to become the major shareholder in 2016. He has increased his shareholding to 94% but despite spending about £600m (€678m) on new players the owner has presided over a chaotic, turbulent period in Everton’s history that saw the team narrowly avoid relegation from the Premier League last season.

Everton have posted record losses of £372.6m (€421.1m) across the past three financial years. They also suspended all commercial deals with companies connected to the oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a former business partner of Moshiri, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on allies of Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s USM Holdings company had a £30m (€33.9m) deal with Everton for first refusal on a naming rights deal for the new stadium.

Moshiri has rarely been seen at Everton matches this year with fans staging protests over his running of the club at the end of last season and again this summer.

Guardian