The Friedkin Group puts Everton up for sale after two years as owners

The Friedkin Group said on Friday morning it was effectively putting Everton up for sale after completing a takeover in December 2024. TFG's 170-word statement said it would test the market, and football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport he expected them to seek between £750m and £800m for a complete sale, taking on current debts of around £468m.

TFG, who also own AS Roma, paid more than £400m for a 99.5% share of Everton in December 2024 and were credited with removing the club from the financial crisis that marked the end of Farhad Moshiri's tenure. Their arrival came amid plans for a move from Goodison Park to a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. The ownership period has been marked by limited engagement with Merseyside: chairman Dan Friedkin has never attended an Everton match and, according to manager David Moyes, has not spoken to him since Moyes returned in January 2025.

The immediate catalyst for the sale process was a summer transfer episode involving academy graduate Harrison Armstrong, with TFG agreeing a reported £40m move to Nottingham Forest before news leaked and supporters reacted with threats of "a riot" at the Bournemouth match; the club subsequently blocked the transfer. Coverage of the episode described TFG's response as a damage-limitation effort that followed a decision which, the report said, instantly alienated the fanbase.

Following that controversy, Everton sold Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £65m and striker Beto to Fiorentina, while a proposed transfer for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun collapsed. The breakdown of the Balogun move left David Moyes short of attacking options and with only 18 senior outfield players in the squad.

Maguire cited multiple pressures on TFG, saying: "I think there are various factors at play. I suspect they were shocked by having to pay Burnley more than £35m for a breach of financial rules." In 2024 Everton were found to have broken Profit and Sustainability Rules over a three-year period; Burnley argued the breach had impacted their chances of staying in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and sought compensation for the losses associated with being relegated. TFG injected £38m into the club to cover that cost while Everton subsequently appealed.

Maguire also pointed to the commercial and structural attractions Everton present to potential buyers, saying: "You are not having to spend money on an upgrade of that stadium. I have a lot of respect for the finance people at the club. Unlike some of the chaos of Moshiri and what he left behind, you can lift up the carpet now at Everton and nothing unpleasant will come out." He added: "To paraphrase a former Prime Minister, you have got an 'over ready' football club coming on to the market. If you are an owner who wants to accelerate things at a football club, you have a starting point for that. "And my start point for potential buyers would be the States."

Moyes said he only learned of the potential sale at the same time as the public and expressed his disappointment at the uncertainty surrounding ownership, telling reporters: "I'm disappointed that Evertonians have to go through another period of 'who are our owners?' "I truly believed with new ownership we were in it completely. My ambition coming back was trying to get Everton back to the levels they have been in the past, and that is challenging for Europe more often. "It has been a difficult summer for us. I only found out this morning. Maybe, I am a little bit surprised, but maybe I shouldn't be that surprised."

Maguire said TFG would aim for a swift sale because much of the club's due diligence has already been completed: "Because so much due diligence has been done by the Friedkins themselves, all of the gremlins will have been highlighted and dealt with," he said. "It is now down to satisfying the Premier League's owners and directors' scenario. Are you a wrong 'un? Do you have the money? Can you prove where the money has come from - not just to buy the club but to run it?" Moyes added a personal endorsement for prospective buyers: "I'm looking forward to getting the right people in to take the club further forward. "It's a great club. If anyone wants to speak to me then I will be the first person to let them know that it is certainly worth buying."