The Friedkin Group is in advanced discussions for a takeover of Everton after resuming talks with Toffees majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
Chairman Dan Friedkin, who also owns Serie A side Roma, had agreed a deal in principle to purchase current owner Moshiri’s 94% stake in June.
But talks were called off a month later after the two parties failed to finalise an agreement, following Miami-based 777 Partners being unable to a complete a deal earlier this year.
In a complex saga surrounding the takeover, American businessman and Crystal Palace owner John Textor was then granted a period exclusivity in August.
Sources now suggest a deal could be “close” with the Friedkin Group but there has been no official announcement.
The Friedkin Group, Moshiri and Everton declined to comment when approached by BBC Sport.
The Friedkin Group is already a lender to the club after injecting £200m, though this could be converted to equity as part of any deal.
A major stumbling block in their initial purchase attempt was the legal action 777 Partners faced in the US, but this version of events has been disputed by the involved parties who said the filing was made public well in advance of their takeover bid.
In June, American businessman Friedkin, who has a reported net worth of £4.8bn, wanted Roma and Premier League club Everton to sit at the top of a multi-club model.
Last week, the Italian club sacked boss Daniele de Rossi just four games into the new season.
Sean Dyche’s Everton side are joint-bottom of the Premier League and yet to win this season, collecting just one point from their opening five games.
What does this mean for Textor?
Just 11 days ago, Textor was leading the race to buy Everton and the club issued a statement saying the 58-year-old was making “progress” but there was “some work to be done to complete the transaction”.
He has been vocal about his ambition of owning the Blues, comparing it to becoming president of the United States and revealing he had a deadline of 30 November to complete his acquisition.
But the deal was complicated by his 45% shareholding in Palace because Premier League rules prohibit individuals from owning more than one team.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Textor said: “Let’s be frank, the failure of others has been the blessing that we get to walk in to – which means that anybody could outbid me at any time.
“I have a qualified period of exclusivity, but exclusives don’t matter if Farhad gets an offer tomorrow that is supremely better than mine.”
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