April 11 – The investor trying to take control of Everton has reportedly asked for more time to complete the deal.
According to Sky, 777 Partners has told stakeholders, including the Premier League, that it now expects its takeover of one of English football’s sleeping giant to be finalised late next month. It had apparently been seeking to close the deal by the end of this week.
The Miami-based investor has built a club ownership portfolio including Serie A’s Genoa, Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga and Vasco da Gama in Brazil. Those acquisitions were funded by 777 Re, a Bermuda-based reinsurer, but doubts exist over whether there is enough finance to support the Everton acquisition.
777 Partners agreed to purchase Farhad Moshiri’s majority shareholding in Everton back in September for a deal reportedly worth £550 million. The group is reported to have approached a significant number of potential lenders to help fund the takeover.
The Premier League has approved the acquisition in principle but has stipulated a number of conditions which must be fulfilled in order for it to proceed.
One of them is 777 demonstrating that it has access to sufficient funding to complete the construction of Everton’s new stadium.
Everton have been regular strugglers in English football’s top flight in recent years, not least this season when they have endured a torrid campaign off as well as on the field because of two separate points deductions imposed by the Premier League for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules.
The first, a 10-point deduction, was subsequently reduced to six on appeal. The second, announced just days ago, saw Everton lose a further two points, hindering the club’s battle against relegation.
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