John Textor expressed interest in eventually buying Everton after confirming he is actively exploring a sale of his roughly 40 per cent stake in Crystal Palace.
Raine Group, the New York broker which secured sales for Chelsea and Manchester United, has been consulting with the tech entrepreneur since at least January.
Textor has now gone public with his plans as he looks to exploit the “not unnoticed” momentum at a club which finished the Premier League season 10th and in sparkling form.
Chairman Steve Parish, Textor and his fellow US businessmen Josh Harris and David Blitzer oversee the running of the Selhurst Park club as general partners. However, Textor has repeatedly hinted at frustrations that he does not exert as much club control as he would like.
Textor said in a statement sent to Telegraph Sport: “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. Simply based on early reaction to the process we have begun with Raine Group, it’s obvious that the momentum at Crystal Palace has not gone unnoticed. I feel extremely confident that a good number of prospective partners will jump at the chance to be a part of this promising future.
“Of course, these processes do take time, however we believe the summer of 2024 is the right time to run such a process, with a goal to identify a successful bidder and future Palace supporter before our focus returns to football games in the fall.”
To the surprise of senior figures at Everton, Textor also suggested that he would eventually be interested in coming to the rescue at Everton.
Telegraph Sport reported last week how crisis-torn US firm 777 Partners have been given until the end of May to complete a deal for the Merseyside club.
Farhad Moshiri has since confirmed to the Everton fan advisory board that he has also received “unsolicited” approaches from other parties for his 94 per cent stake.
Textor suggested he may have been among those to contact Moshiri. “I’m watching it but 777 still has a contract,” he told The Athletic.
“I’m looking at that but it’s quite confusing and some things have to clean up.
“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.”
Insiders close to the sale of Everton said the comments were “all a bit academic” as his Eagle Football Holdings Group would first have to sell its share in Palace to avoid breaching multi-club ownership