Outgoings next week alone are estimated at up to £40 million, which accounts for player and staff wages and Bramley Moore Dock payments, including a significant chunk to Laing O’Rourke. Those specific numbers are denied by club sources who maintain there are no issues clearing any immediate payments.

Several interested parties had signalled willingness to pay operational costs immediately in their pursuit of exclusive terms with Moshiri.

A consortium of Saudi, Australian and US investors led by London-based Armenian Vatche Manoukian also tabled what was claimed to be a £400 million “all-equity” offer on Friday at midnight.

Manoukian said: “Everton fans deserve to be competing for trophies once again and we hope this deal delivers success for the club on and off the pitch. I want to thank our world-class investors for their support and we are excited to turn our focus to new opportunities to take great clubs to the next level.” 

MSP Sports Capital had a separate proposal to take control via equity and debt.

Friedkin moved quickly into contention in recent days, however, and will be confident he can pass Premier League directors’ and owners’ tests. Uefa multi-club ownership rules would present complications if Everton qualified for Europe, however.

What ‘all-equity’ means

Equity represents the amount of money that would be returned to a company’s shareholders if all of the assets were liquidated and all of the company’s debt was paid off. 

Effectively, the two all-equity offers on the table for Moshiri would involve no further borrowing. The debt already in the club – predominantly to pay for the new stadium – is a separate issue, however. 

A proposed deal with the Friedkin Group, which could sign terms as soon as this weekend, comes after its founder acquired control of Serie A side Roma in 2020 for around £500 million. Since then, the club won the Europa Conference League in 2022 under Jose Mourinho. 

Moshiri had previously agreed to sell the club to  777 Partners last September but the deal collapsed last month as the Miami company was plunged into legal turmoil.