Crystal Palace co-owner 'close' to 80% majority purchase of English club
The American businessman had previously admitted to enquiring about a deal to buy Everton.
Crystal Palace part-owner John Textor is 'close' to completing a deal to buy a majority stake in another English club having moved on from a potential investment in Premier League rivals Everton.
The American businessman was keen to complete a takeover of the Merseyside club earlier this year but no deal came to fruition. Everton are back on the market now after the Friedkin Group pulled out of a deal to purchase majority owner Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% shareholding last week.
Textor currently owns 45% of Crystal Palace but has been actively looking to sell that share. His company Eagle Football Holdings also owns French side Lyon, Brazil outfit Botafogo and Belgium team RWD Molenbeek.
The Crystal Palace part-owner admitted to The Athletic earlier this year that he was monitoring a deal for Everton when an agreement with prospective buyers 777 Partners had stalled, and then collapsed. He said: "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 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."
The latest update in Everton's takeover ordeal has brought speculation as to whether Textor could reignite interest but, according to The Guardian, that is not the case. The report finds that Textor has not been in contact with Goodison Park officials as he is instead on the cusp of buying more than 80% of an unspecified English side.
The Guardian reporter Ed Aarons wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Understand that there are 14 investors who have indicated an interest in buying John Textor’s shares in Crystal Palace. Unclear at this stage whether his 40% will be sold to one or more of them. Textor understood to be close to buying more than 80% of another English club
“Just to clarify that I don’t believe Textor has been in contact with Everton since the deal with the Friedkin Group collapsed. He is close to taking over another English club.”