Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is seeking to sell his majority stake in the club and is interested in purchasing Everton or a Championship club.
The American businessman, who owns a 45% stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football Holdings, has engaged Raine Group to find a potential buyer.
Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings also owns majority stakes in French side Lyon, Brazilian first division club Botafogo, and Belgian side RWD Molenbeek.
At 58, Textor wishes to maintain an interest in English football and is considering Everton as a potential opportunity if their protracted sale to 777 Partners is not finalized.
Eagle Football cannot acquire another Premier League club without first selling their stake in Palace.
It is understood that the Palace board had differing views on multi-club ownership, but Textor’s decision to sell his stake has been amicably received.
In a statement, Textor, who made his fortune in the technology sector, expressed pride in his contribution to the club.
The Eagles finished 10th in the Premier League this season, thanks to a strong end to the campaign under Oliver Glasner, who was appointed with the board’s collective effort.
“So, why would we sell, just when things are getting so good? Well, Eagle Football is known to employ a highly integrated sporting model across its football clubs, with an unprecedented amount of scouting collaboration and player movement within the family of clubs,” Textor explained.
“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.”
He added he was “extremely confident that a good number of prospective partners will jump at the chance to be a part of this promising future” at Palace.
Regarding his interest in Everton, Textor told The Athletic that he had engaged in discussions about purchasing the club “with the existing constituents – different groups, different lenders, different equity holders.”
Owner Farhad Moshiri is in a period of exclusivity with 777 Partners until the end of May, following his agreement to sell to them last September.
Textor said: “I’m very open-minded to it but I don’t want to come into a situation where I’m not really welcome.
“I’m watching it but 777 still has a contract. There are people that are close to the club who care a lot about it, who are also investing.
“There’s the guy running it who’s still calling the shots. Maybe we’re uniquely positioned to solve a lot of problems for people but we’re just watching it right now, because there are other people who already own pieces of that club who also want to figure it out.”