Kieran Maguire gives verdict on Everton being listed on New York Stock Exchange as £160m deal close

On face value, John Textor does not seem like the most practical option as Farhad Moshiri’s preferred bidder for Everton. And things could be further complicated by his wider business goals.

Textor, who owns 45 per cent of fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, has reportedly been granted exclusivity by Moshiri to explore the finer points of a full takeover.

Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, one of the largest multi-club operations in the world, encompasses stakes in Lyon, Botofogo, RWD Molenbeek and FC Florida as well as Palace.

The Premier League’s conflict of interest rules dictate that Textor must sell his entire stake in Palace before he can take control of Everton.

The 58-year-old officially announced his intention to divest his Palace shares several months ago, citing frustrations at not being able to assume majority control of the South London club.

As well as that hoop to jump through, Textor must also make sense of Everton’s £600m-plus debt pile, which includes a potential legal hurdle in the form of a loan from former takeover suitors 777 Partners.

To explore what Everton might look like under the Missouri-born billionaire, TBR Football spoke exclusively to Liverpool University football finance lecturer and Price of Football author Kieran Maguire.

Everton on the Stock Exchange?

In an element of the would-be takeover that has gone underreported, Textor has been raising £160m cash ahead of an IPO, which could see his Eagle Football Holdings listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo earlier this summer, Textor said: “There are rules about gun-jumping. You aren’t supposed to advertise the fact that you are doing an IPO.

“The way you do an IPO is you file a registration statement, which is everything about your business – incredible detail, incredible transparency.