John Textor eyes new takeover after Everton announce Friedkin Group deal

John Textor is reportedly eyeing a takeover of another English club - after being gazumped to purchase Everton.

Textor publicly declared his interest in buying the Toffees from majority owner Farhad Moshiri. After The Friedkin Group pulled out of a deal in July, Textor revealed that he had held talks with Moshiri and planned on selling his 45 per cent stake in Crystal Palace.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Nobody wakes up and thinks, 'I get to buy Everton'. But if you decide football is what you want in your life, and then somebody comes along and asks you if you want to become the owner of Everton, it's like someone asking you if you want to be President of the United States. Of course you do.

"But you don't necessarily think that things are realistic. When I grew up and loved football, you didn't choose to watch the MLS which was still developing. You watch the Premier League and great European football.

"My great-grandfather was English so I tended to watch more UK football. My pastor was a Wolves fan so I watched him go through all kinds of agony. When I travelled to the UK for business, I would try to watch games - usually at very small clubs, like Leyton Orient or Stockport County. But Everton? I never thought about it as it was like looking at the White House and thinking I'm going to live there some day. When it becomes available, obviously I'm not just interested but hopefully we can get it done. It would be quite an honour."

However, The Friedkin Group moved swiftly to come back to the table and agreed a deal with Moshiri last week. The Texan firm’s takeover is subject to regulatory approval but that is not expected to be an issue given they already own Italian owner and chief Dan Friedkin is a multi-billionaire.

Textor is still keen to sell his shareholding in Palace, however, having told chairman Steve Parish his intentions. Despite owning the biggest share of the Eagles, Textor holds only 25 per cent of the voting power in the boardroom along with Parish and co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer.

Through his company Eagle Football Holdings, Textor presently owns French side Lyon, Brazilian club Botafogo and Belgian team Molenbeek. But he wants to add an English club to his portfolio. According to Le Progres, he could instead turn his attention to the Championship and purchase a team with the potential to be promoted to the top flight.

Watford and QPR have been the clubs mooted. Watford spent six out of seven seasons in the Premier League between 2015-2022 while QPR have not been in the top flight since 2015.