- Crystal Palace’s co-owner John Textor wants to sell his 45 per cent stake in them
- He has his eyes set on buying Everton, who are going through a takeover saga
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Crystal Palace‘s co-owner John Textor says he is looking to sell his 45 per cent stake in the club and buy Everton.
He has enlisted banking firm Raine to help him sell after failing to assume a majority stake in Palace, who finished 10th in the Premier League this season.
Textor is chairman of Eagle Football Holdings, who have stakes in Palace, Lyon, Botafogo, WD Molenbeek, and FC Florida.
He believes he can ‘solve a lot of problems’ for Everton, but Mail Sport understands that by the time he has sold up, it is doubtful the Toffees will still be on the market or up for sale.
‘Based on early reaction to the process we have begun with Raine Group, it’s obvious that the momentum at Crystal Palace has not gone unnoticed,’ Textor told The Athletic.
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor wants to sell his stake in them and buy Everton
Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings have stakes in multiple clubs globally but have been unable to acquire more than 45 per cent in Palace
‘I feel extremely confident that a good number of prospective partners will jump at the chance to be a part of this promising future.’
He added that ‘an integrated sporting model, such as ours at Eagle, is simply not a perfect fit for Crystal Palace.’
Textor has failed to acquired a majority share in the club. He bought 40 per cent for £87.5million in 2021 before upping that by an extra five per cent for £30m.
Would-be Everton buyers 777 Partners have until May 31 to complete a deal to take control of the Toffees.
Current owner Farhad Moshiri granted them a shock two-week extension to prove they can purchase the club.
The firm, led by Josh Wander and Steve Pasko, struck an agreement to buy Everton in September but a lengthy saga ensued as it has been unable to meet the Premier League’s strict criteria for allowing the takeover to proceed.
However, earlier this month they had their company assets frozen in Belgium following an alleged defaulted payment relating to their ownership of top-flight club Standard Liege.
Textor told The Athletic: ‘Yes (I’ve had conversations around buying Everton), Wwth the existing constituents – different groups, different lenders, different equity holders.
Farhad Moshiri has given 777 Partners until May 31 to prove they can buy the club off him
The firm, led by John Wander (pictured) and Steve Pasko, have an agreement to buy Everton but have been unable to meet criteria for the takeover
‘I’ve asked them: “Is there a way to solve all this confusion and address everyone’s problems?” I’m very open-minded to it but I don’t want to come into a situation where I’m not really welcome.
‘I’m watching it but 777 still has a contract. There are people that are close to the club who care a lot about it who are also investing.
‘There’s the guy running it (Moshiri) who’s still calling the shots. Maybe we’re uniquely positioned to solve a lot of problems for people but we’re just watching it right now because there are other people who already own pieces of that club who also want to figure it out. I’m looking at that but it’s quite confusing and some things have to clean up.’
He must sell his stake in Palace before buying into Everton – Premier League rules ban the concurrent ownership of two clubs in the league.
‘Everton represents the best of English football: the struggles, the glory, the want. I love that it’s out of London. Everybody should want to buy Everton right now,’ he said.
‘That kind of club is what I’m referring to, where the risk and the reward of your relationship and community is so great and you could come in, make promises and keep them. How great would it be to take one of these great English clubs back to sort of glory?
Textor: ‘Everton represents the best of English football: the struggles, the glory, the want’
‘We’re also looking at other opportunities and we don’t need to jump right out of Palace right into something. That’d be a mistake.
‘I suspect that the problem with Everton is it won’t be available by the time we would be ready for it. You can’t own two clubs in one league and we’re not going to rush the situation at Palace, no matter how good another opportunity looks.’