Ibrahim Oladamola
Everton have reached an exclusivity agreement with New York-based company MSP Sports Capital for investment in the club, BBC Sport understands.
Sources have said the deal is not yet done but talks are progressing between the two parties over future funding.
Everton are currently two points above the Premier League’s relegation zone with one game remaining this season.
Read Also:
Premier League rejects clubs appeal to fast-track – Everton charges
Football: Everton fans demand chairman Kenwright’s sacking
Football: Chairman Kenwright defends Everton board
However, the Toffees will drop into the bottom three if Leicester win at Newcastle on Monday
MSP are believed to be looking for a 25% stake with a preferential share structure, not equity in the club, so would be paid back in interest.
777 have had access to the ‘data room’ (financial accounts), but have not been prepared to pay a ‘significant’ price as they have looked at the debt on the balance sheet – which stood at £141.7m in the latest account.
In February, Moshiri told the fan’s advisory board the club was “not for sale” but he had been talking to “top investors of real quality”.
The club requires funding for their new stadium, which is being built on Bramley Moore Dock, after costs increased from £500m originally to about £760m.
British-Iranian business Moshiri has invested over £750m of his own money since 2016, but some supporters are deeply unhappy about his ownership of the club.
Toffees fans have held protests before some home games this season and have called for Moshiri and the board to leave the club.
It is understood MSP will likely expect representation in the boardroom if they do complete their minority investment in the club.
An exclusivity agreement is described as a document in which a prospective buyer and seller agree to deal solely with each other in anticipation of an exchange of contracts by the end of a fixed period of time.
In this case, it protects MSP from being outbid by another party but it does not offer full protection from that happening outside of the specified time period.
