FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Nottingham Forest - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - April 21, 2024 General view of the corner flag inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Peter Powell/File Photo
(Reuters) - Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is interested in acquiring a majority shareholding in Premier League side Everton, the American businessman told British newspaper The Daily Mirror in an interview.
Textor, whose ownership also extends to Olympique Lyonnais in France, Botafogo in Brazil and RWD Molenbeek in Belgium through his company Eagle Football Group, acknowledged that he would need to sell his 45% interest in Crystal Palace before initiating a bid for Everton.
"We are looking at Everton along with everybody else. I would have to rationalise my interest in Palace before I could close anything," he noted.
In May, the businessman confirmed his plans to sell his shares in the South London-based club.
Eagle Football Group is prohibited from taking over another Premier League club unless it first divests its stake in Palace.
Everton have been in search of new ownership as their financial problems have deepened. A potential deal with investment fund 777 Partners fell apart in June when the American private equity firm was unable to meet the takeover deadline.
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro in Gdansk; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
