Sources have told Football Insider that Everton will try to secure a new lender for the debt to the Friedkin Group if the takeover is not completed before the end of the upcoming season.
The Friedkin Group, led by Dan Friedkin, gained exclusivity in June after reaching an agreement in principle with owner Farhad Moshiri to take over his 94.1% stake in Goodison Park.
But the risk associated with a £200m loan given to Everton by former prospective owner 777 Partners to pay operating costs is believed to be to blame for the deal’s collapse.
Friedkin also provided the Premier League with a £200m loan to repay lender MSP Sports Capital – another company that had previously tried to buy Everton – as well as working capital to complete the construction of the new stadium.
The Texas-based company’s loan is secured by a new hall at Bramley-Moore Dock and shares in Blue Heaven Holdings – the company that owns the Merseysiders.
Under the terms of the loan agreement, Friedkin can take control of those assets if the debt is not paid before the end of the upcoming season.
But sources have told Football Insider that it is “highly unlikely” that Moshiri will not sell the club or find a new lender to take over the debt in the next nine months.
A new bid to take over Everton will be made after the last deal collapsed
The relationship with Friedkin is believed to remain intact after Everton announced in its statement on the completion of takeover negotiations that the US company would remain a lender to the club and was “proud to have played a key role in enabling the new stadium to be built”. .
The Miami-based company reached an in-principle deal with Moshiri last September, but the takeover was unable to complete due to financing issues.
The collapse of the two deals has left Everton in dire straits, with the club now owing three outside lenders more than £600m.
Moshiri has now been forced back to the drawing board as he looks set to secure a new deal just weeks before the start of the Premier League season.
Sky Sports reported on July 22 that a consortium led by Kevin Malone would make a new bid for Everton in the coming weeks.
The former LA Dodgers general manager was one of several interested parties looking to strike a deal for the club before Friedkin agreed with Moshiri last month.