Everton officially up for sale: Friedkin Group prepared to settle for £800m as US buyers circle
Everton have been put up for sale by The Friedkin Group, who may have to settle for an £800m valuation against £380m of debt — with an American buyer seen as the most likely outcome.
Published 18 Oct 20262 min read
Everton officially up for sale as Friedkin Group targets £800m deal
Everton have been formally put up for sale by owners The Friedkin Group (TFG), with the Americans reportedly prepared to settle for an £800million valuation as they look to exit the club less than two years after taking control at Goodison Park.
The widely reported £1billion asking price that TFG were initially hoping for now looks unrealistic, with insiders suggesting the group will have to accept closer to £800m to get a deal done. The club is carrying an estimated £380million of debt, a figure that looms over any negotiation and has tempered the enthusiasm of several prospective bidders.
US buyer the most likely outcome
Financial experts following the saga believe the most likely buyer is another American investor. The appeal is not just the football club but the property: Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium sits at the heart of a major regeneration project on Liverpool's waterfront, and a 'deep pockets' investor could fund both the team and the surrounding development.
There is a time pressure too. TFG have pledged to keep running the club as normal while a buyer is found, but analysts warn that funding could drop to 'maintenance level' from next summer if a takeover is not completed before the end of the current campaign.
Wider takeover market
Everton's sale is the highest-profile item in a busy ownership market. Leicester City's deadline for takeover bids passed on Friday 16 October with the Srivaddhanaprabha family still in control and valued the club at over £200million, while at the other end of the pyramid, Jonathan Blezard and Simon Weaver completed their takeover of Harrogate Town — a deal that was delayed while the Independent Football Regulator signed off on the change of ownership.
The regulator's involvement is becoming a routine feature of English club transactions, a sign of how governance of the game has shifted since the Football Governance Act came into force. For Everton, a sale would be the club's third ownership change in barely three years, and supporters will hope the next owners bring something the last two could not: stability.