Everton up for sale again – so what next as owners TFG look for a way out?

Everton are up for sale again. Chief football writer Phil McNulty looks at what happens next as owners The Friedkin Group look for a way out. Everton chairman Dan Friedkin has never attended one of the club's matches since TFG completed a takeover in December 2024 When Everton's owners The Friedkin Group released a 170-word statement on Friday morning announcing they were effectively putting the club up for sale, it was as low-key and underwhelming as their tenure on Merseyside. TFG, also owners of AS Roma in Italy's Serie A, paid more than £400m for a 99.5% share of Everton in December 2024, releasing the club from the financial crisis and toxicity that characterised the final days of Farhad Moshiri's chaotic regime.

It was meant to be the start of a bold new era for the club as they waited to move out of Goodison Park into a magnificent new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. Instead, TFG will now test the market, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire telling BBC Sport he expected them to seek a price between £750m and £800m for a complete sale, taking on current debts of around £468m. In contrast to the high hopes and confidence that accompanied their arrival, TFG have effectively been absentee owners focusing their efforts on Roma – a stance illustrated