The leading contender to buy Everton Football Club is preparing to launch within days a plan to take his sports and technology holding company public at a valuation of over $2bn.
Sky News has learnt that John Textor, an American businessman, is to file documents with US regulators that will see Eagle Football Holdings become a US-listed company.
Banking sources said on Monday that Eagle Football had lined up Stifel and TD Cowen, the investment banks, to work on the initial public offering (IPO).
At least one other bank is likely to be appointed alongside them, the sources added.
Eagle Football, which owns a 45% stake in Everton’s fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace, is likely to seek around $500m (£379m) of new funding from investors as part of its IPO plan, according to bankers.
That would help Mr Textor achieve a valuation of around $2.3bn (£1.74bn), they said.
Eagle Football owns controlling stakes in clubs including France’s Olympique Lyonnais, Botafogo in Brazil, RW Molenbeek in Belgium and FC Florida.
Its ownership of a minority stake in Crystal Palace means that despite Eagle Football being its largest individual shareholder, the club’s earnings are not consolidated within the company’s results.
Mr Textor is in exclusive negotiations to acquire Everton, which has endured a torrid start to the Premier League season with 3-0 and 4-0 defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
He had held earlier discussions about buying the Toffees, but the club’s complicated capital structure led to a breakdown in discussion with its majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri.
However,…
