One of the most influential figures in world sport is part of a group that has formally ended its pursuit of Tottenham and now wants to focus only on a takeover of Everton.
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is now courting new bids for the club following the collapse of an agreed deal with embattled Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners.
MSP Sports Capital are one of nine groups to be actively exploring a takeover, and they have an advantage in that they are already a creditor to the club to the tune of over £160m.
The US group is led by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, who have stakes in a number of clubs and other sporting institutions worldwide.
Moorad’s influence in particular has led to him being named on the Sporting News’s 100 Most Powerful People in Sports for eight consecutive years.
MSP Sports Capital cease Tottenham takeover plan
MSP Sports Capital were also previously considering Spurs, whose chairman and co-owner Daniel Levy is also actively seeking investment.
However, TBR understands that their interest in the North London club – which was in either a full or partial takeover – is now over and they are concentrating solely on Everton.
It can also be exclusively revealed that MSP Sports Capital reached out to figures in the football finance industry to canvas opinion on the regulatory direction of English and European football.
Why have MSP pulled out of Tottenham deal?
Through a consultancy firm, MSP wanted to know about imminent changes to financial fair play, or FFP (now Profit and Sustainability Rules, or PSR).
They also were keen to establish whether there would be a clampdown on multi-club models and what the scope of the independent regulator for English football is set to be.
Their conclusion after extensive due diligence is that Everton are a more attractive option in terms of the company’s spec.
They believe there is greater scope for value creation at Everton, who are on the market for around £400m, which could be as littles as a fifth of the value of a Spurs takeover.
What is the latest with the Everton takeover?
In the last 24 hours, UK-based investment company Vici have emerged as the latest group to be in contact with Moshiri about a deal.
They join a list which includes a powerful consortium fronted by local investors Andy Bell and George Downing, as well as a number of other US investors.