Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Alex Howell
- Role, BBC Sport football news reporter
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor says he is trying to sell his majority stake in the club and holds an interest in buying Everton, or a club in the Championship.
The American businessman owns a 45% stake in Palace with his company Eagle Football Holdings, and has instructed Raine Group to find a prospective buyer.
Palace are one of four clubs Textor owns with Eagle Football, alongside majority stakes in French side Lyon, Brazilian first division club Botafogo and Belgian side RWD Molenbeek.
Textor, 58, wants to continue to have an interest in English football and would be interested in exploring Everton as an opportunity, should their protracted sale to 777 Partners not be resolved.
Eagle Football cannot purchase another club in the Premier League without selling their stake in Palace first.
It is understood the Palace board disagreed on multi-club ownership, but Textor’s decision to sell his stake has been received amicably.
In a statement, Textor, who made his fortune in the technology sector, said he was “proud” about his contribution to the club.
The Eagles finished 10th in the Premier League this season following a strong end to the campaign under Oliver Glasner, who the board worked together to appoint.
“So, why would we sell, just when things are getting so good? Well, Eagle Football is known to employ a highly integrated sporting model across its football clubs, with an unprecedented amount of scouting collaboration and player movement within the family of clubs,” Textor explained.
“As proud as we are to have been a part of the resurgence of Crystal Palace, it remains true that Crystal Palace is an independent club, run by a man with a steady hand, who has achieved a level of sustainability that is incredibly uncommon in today’s Premier League. An integrated sporting model, such as ours at Eagle, is simply not a perfect fit for Crystal Palace.”
He added he was “extremely confident that a good number of prospective partners will jump at the chance to be a part of this promising future” at Palace.
On his Everton interest, Textor told The Athletic he had held talks about buying the club “with the existing constituents – different groups, different lenders, different equity holders”.
Owner Farhad Moshiri is in a period of exclusivity with 777 Partners until the end of May, after agreeing to sell to them last September.
Textor said: “I’m very open-minded to it but I don’t want to come into a situation where I’m not really welcome.
“I’m watching it but 777 still has a contract. There are people that are close to the club who care a lot about it, who are also investing.
“There’s the guy running it who’s still calling the shots. Maybe we’re uniquely positioned to solve a lot of problems for people but we’re just watching it right now, because there are other people who already own pieces of that club who also want to figure it out.”