"Lyon President Textor Says 90% Chance of Buying Everton"

John Textor, the chairman of the Eagle Football group which includes Lyon, said on Wednesday he was confident he would acquire English club Everton.

"There's a 90 percent chance of this happening, but the current owner also has other choices," said the American during a press conference at the training centre of Lyon, where he is president.

In August, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri reportedly granted a period of exclusivity to Textor to explore a takeover. Textor said he planned to buy the Premier League club "in my own name".

"It would come from my own financing. I will be the buyer, not Eagle," Textor said. Eagle Football also owns Botafogo, the current Brazilian league leaders, and Molenbeek, relegated last season to the Belgian second division.

Eagle Football also owns 46 percent of Crystal Palace, one of Everton's Premier League rivals. Textor acquired the bulk of those stakes in his own name, before combining the holdings when he created Eagle Football in November 2022.

The company took control of Lyon the following month. Under Premier League rules, Textor must sell the Crystal Palace stake before he can buy Everton.

"The money from this sale will be allocated to Eagle Football to repay part of its debts," he said, adding that some would be used "to develop our academies around the world and recruit talent". "There will be no impact on Lyon, but it could be a good partnership all the same. It will be debt-free," he added.