Friedkin Group granted exclusivity in Everton takeover talks

The Friedkin Group have moved closer to securing a majority 94% stake in Everton after being granted an exclusivity agreement by club owner Farhad Moshiri.

The US-based firm will undertake due diligence on the club and a deal is subject to passing the Premier League's owners' and directors' test, as well as gaining approval from the Football Association (FA) and Financial Conduct Authority.

Chairman Dan Friedkin, who also owns Roma, has a reported net worth of £4.8bn and he was keen to add a Premier League club to sit at the top of his multi-club model.

However, there is no guarantee that the Freidkin Group's takeover will be completed as previous exclusivity agreements with the likes of Maciek Kaminski, MSP Sports Capital and most recently 777 Partners, all ended without a takeover.

Bidding for the club was re-opened earlier this month after Miami-based investment group 777 partners failed to complete a takeover by the final deadline of 1 June.