Rumours of a possible £225m buyout of Everton FC which surfaced last week have now been quashed by the company reported to be interested in buying the club.
Sporting Club, the company that owns MLS side Sporting Kansas City, were rumoured to have been in talks with current Everton owner Bill Kenwright about the potential for a buyout of the Toffees.
Since newspaper reports appeared on the subject last week, CEO of Sporting Kansas City, Rob Heineman, has said that they are out of the race for the purchase of Everton, however he also mentioned there being other ‘legitimate groups’ interested in buying the club.
Heineman admits that a takeover was considered in August, and that he and Sporting Club were in talks with Kenwright, but that the timing was not right, stating that perhaps the price wasn’t right, and that the company was “not ready to pull the trigger”.
Kenwright, who bought a controlling interest in Everton from Peter Johnson in December 1999, has always said that he would be prepared to sell the Blues if the price was right, and the right buyer came along.
The end of the speculation came when Heineman tweeted at the weekend: “Great trip to Liverpool in August… learned a lot, but that’s the extent of it. It’s time of year to focus on trophies for #sportingkc.”
The Everton faithful have repeatedly called for Kenwright to sell, due to what they claim is his continual lack of investment in the club.
Most recently a protest banner was flown over St Mary’s before Everton played Southampton, reading: “Kenwright and Co time to go.” It was reported to have been organised by newly-formed group Everton Board OUT, and The Blue Union fan club.
JMU Journalism approached Everton FC about the speculation, but they refused to comment.