American investment firm 777 Partners close to agreeing Everton takeover deal

Farhad Moshiri is likely to sell the Premier League side

English Premier League side Everton is likely to be sold to Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners.

The group 777 already have a number of football clubs in their portfolio including Sevilla, Hertha Berlin and Standard Liege.

Standard Liege supporters have been protesting to force out the owners of their club.

According to reports, the multi-club investors 777 Partners have been in discussions with Farhad Moshiri, who is the majority shareholder at the Merseyside club. This has been happening since the news that New York group MSP Sports Capital had ended its exclusivity agreement with Moshiri.

777 Partners are looking for a full takeover once all the league requirements are met. This could take several months to complete.

In February, Moshiri told Everton's fans' advisory board the club was "not for sale" but it appears the British-Iranian businessman is now willing to sell the club.

Despite investing more than £750m since 2016, some Everton supporters have been unhappy about his ownership.

They held protests before some games at Goodison Park last season calling for Moshiri and the board to leave.

Next month Everton will go before an independent commission for an alleged breach of the Premier League's financial play rules. Everton have denied wrongdoing and said they were prepared to defend their position.

This year in March, the Toffees posted financial losses for the fifth consecutive year. Their cumulative losses over the past five years are more than £430m.

Everton are also planning to shift into a new stadium. The club is in the process of building a new stadium on Bramley Moore Dock and the cost could reach £760 million. There is an increase of £260m in the figures quoted by the club last year.

Sean Dyche's men are 18th in the Premier League table and have escaped relegation in the last couple of seasons. New ownership could bring some new faces in the summer.