Warren Buffet associates in talks over £3.3bn deal amid Everton takeover twist

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In the modern era, some of the wealthiest individuals and groups in the world are connected to Premier League takeovers. And Everton are no exception.

Private equity, financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds have all been linked with a deal to buy the Toffees, whose owner Farhad Moshiri can no longer afford to fund the club.

After 777 Partners and Roma owner Dan Friedkin were selected as preferred bidders for Everton by Moshiri only for the deals to collapse – for very different, albeit interlinked reasons.

Moshiri and his advisors now face finding a new bidder for a club whose total debt of £600m-plus likely exceeds the value of its equity.

However, there should be no shortage of options for the British-Iranian billionaire if he is willing to lower his demands for £25-50m for his 94 per cent stake in Everton.

Many groups have been linked with an Everton takeover so far, with some publicly declaring their interest.

Among those to have previously thrown their hat into the ring are MSD Partners.

And the latest news about the US merchant bank may indicate how likely it is that they will re-emerge as a contender for the ownership of Everton.

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MSD Partners eye world-record sports takeover after Everton interest

MSD Partners, who merged with BDT & Company in January 2023, have been linked with providing capital to one of the many buyers interested in Everton.

Notably, BDT & MSD co-CEO Byron Trott is routinely described as Warren Buffet’s ‘favourite banker’.

Buffet, whose net worth exceed £106bn and is considered the greatest investor of all time, reguarly namechecks Trott in his shareholder letters.

As relayed by Sportico, Trott’s BDT & MSD group are now overseeing the sale of NBA franchise the Boston Celtics.

It is believed that the eventual sale of the basketball team could be worth £3.3bn, which would be the biggest price ever paid for a sports team.

Why is this significant for Everton? BDT & SDT have around £40bn of assets under management and, as reinforced by their involvement with the Celtics, are increasingly focused on sports acquisitions.

Everton fans will hope that they will now re-spark their interest in financing a takeover.

TBR Analysis: When will the Everton takeover be complete?

Moshiri is believed to have set an eight-week deadline for a group to get an Everton takeover over the line.

Speaking exclusively to TBR earlier this week, football finance expert Kieran Maguire said Moshiri’s Everton timescale was the stuff of fantasy.

Given the complexity of what is an increasingly nebulous takeover picture because of the club’s external debt, an agreement will likely take far longer to seal.

Everton have not yet announced another preferred bidder, and exclusive talks would then likely take months to complete.