Everton Up for Sale as Friedkin Group Seeks Exit — SkimNews
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- The Friedkin Group released a 170-word statement announcing they are testing the market for a complete sale of Everton, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire telling BBC Sport the expected price is £750m-£800m against current debts of around £468m.
- TFG paid more than £400m for a 99.5% stake in Everton in December 2024, rescuing the club from Farhad Moshiri's regime, but chairman Dan Friedkin has never attended an Everton match and has never spoken to manager David Moyes since his January 2025 return.
- Moyes revealed he learned of the sale at the same time as the public, saying he was "a little bit surprised" and disappointed that Evertonians face another period of ownership uncertainty.
- Everton were forced to pay Burnley more than £35m for a Profit and Sustainability Rules breach covering the 2021-22 period, with TFG injecting £38m to cover the cost — a litigious environment Maguire says likely put the American owners off.
- The Harrison Armstrong transfer saga proved the breaking point: TFG agreed a £40m deal to sell the teenage midfielder to Nottingham Forest, but fan threats of "a riot" during a Bournemouth match forced them into a damage-limitation U-turn.
- Everton's botched summer window saw Iliman Ndiaye sold to Manchester City for £65m and striker Beto depart for Fiorentina, while a move for Monaco's Folarin Balogun collapsed, leaving Moyes with only 18 senior outfield players.
- Maguire argued the timing suits TFG because the Premier League is a scarce asset with only 20 clubs available, and American buyers can acquire Everton for a fraction of the $5bn+ US sports franchise prices.
- Moyes offered a buyer's reference: "If anyone wants to speak to me then I will be the first person to let them know that it is certainly worth buying."
Why it matters: Everton are entering their third ownership transition in under a decade with the Premier League's owners and directors test still to clear, while manager David Moyes is left rebuilding mid-season on 18 senior outfield players and without a sale price close to the £400m TFG originally paid.
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