Jordan Pickford 'tops Everton's list for a huge summer fire sale' - with FIVE stars lined up for the exit door - as Farhad Moshiri 'faces choice between selling first-team players or putting club into administration'

Jordan Pickford reportedly heads up a list of five stars Everton could be forced to sell this summer in order to avoid going into administration. 

Would-be investors 777 Partners have until the end of the month to prove they can purchase the club.

Owner Farhad Moshiri had granted the Miami-based firm a two-week extension to do so and they have already invested £200million to keep the Toffees afloat. They gave £16m ahead of May just to pay the club's wages. 

While Moshiri claims to have had 'unsolicited approaches from other parties,' if he is unable to secure a sale of the club, he will be forced to raise money somehow.

And Pickford is just one of five first-team stars at risk of being sold to keep the club clear of administration amid being £538m in debt, according to The Sun. 

Jarrad Branthwaite, who Everton set a £100m price tag for last year, is another player reportedly on the chopping block. 

The list also includes Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Dwight McNeil, all important players under Sean Dyche. 

Between them, the five made 196 appearances in all competitions as Everton came 15th in the Premier League despite having eight points deducted. 

Losing Pickford would be a particular blow. The goalkeeper, 30, has been their first choice for seven years and only missed 10 Premier League games in that time. 

Crystal Palace's co-owner John Textor recently told The Athletic that he intends to sell his 45 per cent stake in the Eagles and buy Everton. 

'Everton represents the best of English football: the struggles, the glory, the want. I love that it’s out of London. Everybody should want to buy Everton right now,' he said.

However, that takeover would be too late to stop Everton needing to perform a clear-out. 

Moshiri is 'unable to engage' with other interested parties until May 31 due to a sales purchase agreement (SPA) with 777 Partners.

The deal for 777 Partners to take on 94.1 per cent of Everton was agreed last September.

However, talks stalled with the controversial American private equity firm and they have been told by the Premier League they must provide evidence of access to more than £400million before their protracted takeover can be approved.

In a letter in March, the Premier League indicated they were 'minded to approve' their offer subject to a series of strict conditions. 

So far, the firm led by Josh Wander and Steve Pasko have been unable to meet the Premier League's strict criteria. 

777 has barely gone a week without negative headlines since the agreement was made with Moshiri. Earlier this month, the company was accused of fraud in a New York lawsuit – the 17th lawsuit in which the firm had been named. 

Two London-based asset management firms accused 777 of pledging £279m in collateral assets despite knowing they had been pledged to another lender – which by law is known as double-pledging – or did not exist.

In that case, Wander and Pasko were accused of ‘operating a giant shell game at best, and an outright Ponzi scheme at worst’. One of their other firms, an airline called Bonza, went into administration a fortnight ago and left passengers stranded in Australia.

On Friday, Belgian club Standard Liege — owned by 777 — were forced to postpone their league game after protesting fans blocked the team coach from reaching the stadium. The 10-time Belgian champions are under transfer embargo for financial issues, for which fans point the blame at 777.