Sky Sports: Crystal Palace’s Major Shareholder to Acquire Everton in Personal Capacity

Exclusive news from Sky Sports: John Textor, the American businessman and primary candidate for acquiring Everton Football Club, is about to apply for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for his sports and technology holding company, Eagle Football Holdings. The company is seeking approximately $500 million in new funds and is expected to be valued at $2.3 billion. Eagle Football currently holds controlling stakes in several football clubs, including Premier League’s Crystal Palace, France’s Lyon, Brazil’s Botafogo, Belgium’s Molenbeek, and Florida FC in the USA.

Since Eagle Football only holds a minority stake in Crystal Palace, despite being its largest individual shareholder, the profits of Crystal Palace are not included in Eagle Football’s financial statements. John Textor is currently in exclusive negotiations to acquire the club following previous discussions with Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s major shareholder, which did not result in an agreement due to the club’s complex capital structure.

After negotiations with other bidders failed, John Textor has resumed talks with Everton. He plans to acquire Everton personally rather than through Eagle Football, although it could potentially be integrated into Eagle Football in the future. To complete the acquisition, he will need to sell his shares in Crystal Palace, for which two parties have expressed clear interest. Textor is also discussing injecting over £150 million into Everton with potential investors. The IPO plan for Eagle Football is expected to commence trading in November.