The Friedkin Group is considering selling a controlling interest in Everton FC less than two years after acquiring the Premier League club, in a move that will test investor appetite for increasingly costly football assets. The US group, which has retained investment bank Moelis & Company, said Everton had been stabilized financially and that the completion of the club’s new stadium meant it was appropriate to consider its “next chapter”. The Friedkin Group took control in late 2024 after a prolonged period of financial uncertainty under former owner Farhad Moshiri.
Since then, the group has refinanced liabilities and helped complete Everton’s move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, giving prospective investors a modern venue with greater match-day and commercial potential. Securing competitiveness would demand significant additional capital from any prospective owner to bolster the playing squad. Negotiations could be complicated by valuation expectations that have become increasingly detached from the economics of many clubs.
Owners across European football have taken encouragement from the record-setting sale of a minority stake in rival Liverpool FC, where a consortium led by Amit Bhatia and backed by investors including Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin agreed to buy more than 30% at a valuation exceeding $6 billion. Everton is worth roughly £720 million based on figures from the latest accounts, according to analysis by football adviser Tom Markham. The Friedkin Group might have to inject more than £400 million into the club just to keep it competitive, according to Paul Quinn, an independent researcher and blogger on football finances.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing