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5 months ago
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Merseyside businessmen Andy Bell and George Downing have enlisted the help of US billionaire Michael Dell to try and complete a quick deal to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri.
Bell and Downing, both lifelong supporters of the club, are among five parties interested in taking over at Goodison Park following a failed bid by 777 Partners, and are keen to push forward this week to sign an exclusivity agreement with Moshiri.
Bell founded investment giant AJ Bell while Downing's self-named company has been successful in construction and property.
It is the addition of the Dell family office to their team that has helped persuade Moshiri they are serious runners and that a deal could be done well before the new 2024-25 season.
Dell has been one of the world's best-known computer brands since the 1980s and is currently worth an estimated £95billiion.
Michael Dell (pictured with his wife Susan) is interested in buying Everton Football Club
Dell has teamed up with local businessmen to try and strike a quick deal with Everton owner Farhad Moshiri (pictured)
777 Partners - founded by Josh Wander (pictured) - wanted to buy Everton but their bid collapsed
Next season is set to be Everton's last at Goodison Park, and Dell wants to bring financial stability to the club ahead of their move to Bramley-Moore Dock in 2025
Their 'family office' is tasked with looking after their investment portfolios.
Sources close to Moshiri have described talks as advanced but other senior figures inside the club are more cautious about any confirmation being imminent, mindful that there are other suitors including MSP Sports Capital.
Even so, the emergence of Bell, 58, and 61-year-old Downing will be a relief to Everton fans worried about the club's future following a turbulent season in which they were docked eight points for financial breaches of Premier League rules.
The pair are confident they can guarantee Everton financial security and will help them move into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on schedule in 2025.
It's been reported that Bell and Downing have already put in £50million as a loan to ensure Everton could fund themselves to this point.
Everton face further expenditure this summer when deferred payments for the signings of Beto and Youssef Chermiti are due.
The Dell-backed bid hope the urgency of the situation means they can be granted an exclusivity period by Moshiri in the next few days. They are understood to already have forged a close relationship with the current owner.
English (US)