John Textor, chairman of the Eagle Football group, which owns Lyon, expressed strong confidence in his bid to acquire English Premier League club Everton. Speaking at a press conference at Lyon's training center on Wednesday, Textor said, "There's a 90 percent chance of this happening, but the current owner also has other choices."
In August, reports indicated that Everton's owner, Farhad Moshiri, had granted Textor a period of exclusivity to explore a potential takeover. Textor clarified that the acquisition would be made "in my own name," with the purchase funded personally. "It would come from my own financing. I will be the buyer, not Eagle," he added.
Eagle Football also holds ownership stakes in Botafogo, which leads the Brazilian league, and Molenbeek, a team relegated to the Belgian second division. Additionally, Eagle Football owns a 46 percent stake in Crystal Palace, a Premier League rival of Everton. Textor acquired the majority of these stakes individually before consolidating them under Eagle Football in November 2022. The company subsequently took control of Lyon the following month.
According to Premier League regulations, Textor must divest his stake in Crystal Palace before he can finalize the purchase of Everton. Textor noted that the proceeds from the sale would be used to reduce Eagle Football's debts and invest in global academy development and talent recruitment. "The money from this sale will be allocated to Eagle Football to repay part of its debts," he said, adding that some funds would be used "to develop our academies around the world and recruit talent."
Textor reassured that the potential takeover would not impact Lyon, stating, "There will be no impact on Lyon, but it could be a good partnership all the same. It will be debt-free."
