Everton’s owner, Farhad Moshiri, has put the club up for sale just hours after sacking Frank Lampard due to a poor performance that has landed them in 19th place in the Premier League table.
Guardian reported that Moshiri who became the majority owner of the Merseyside club, having increased his shares to 94 percent last year, is hoping to secure at least £500million from the sale.
His decision to allegedly sell the club comes amid turmoil on and off the pitch, with the Toffees sacking Lampard after a run of defeats that left them joint-bottom at the foot of the Premier League table with just 15 points from 19 matches.
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Moshiri is said to be open to either a full or partial takeover of the club, with his decision coming after months of seeking external investment into Everton. It comes amid their plans to build a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, in a big-money project to move away from their long-time Goodison Park home.
Everton is said to have instructed Deloitte to handle the sale, which is the latest development in a chaotic week for the club following the dismissal of Lampard.
This is however coming barely a week after Moshiri rejected the possibility of a sale. The British-Iranian businessman told the club’s website last week;
“The club is not for sale but I have been talking to top investors to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it (the investing) myself but I want to bring top sport investors into Everton. We are close to having a deal done.”
However, since Moshiri’s comments a lot has changed, with Saturday’s loss worsening the club’s perilous league situation and with Lampard being removed as the manager.
Lampard’s sack means that Everton are on the lookout for their seventh permanent manager since Roberto Martinez left in May 2016.