Everton chaos: Farhad Moshiri in new investor talks amid cash crisis after US deal collapses

Farhad Moshiri is already talking to alternative investors after attempts to sell a 25 per cent stake of Everton collapsed at the 11th hour.

Telegraph Sport understands the club remains eager to find a new partner despite New York-based MSP Sports Capital walking away from an exclusivity agreement reportedly due to existing lender demands.

Under the terms of a prior deal by Everton, Rights and Media Funding Limited were understood to be requesting “high tens of millions” from MSP before a penny went into the club. It is likely the existing lender would make similar demands whoever Moshiri now turns to as he sells off a stake in the club.

With an expensive stadium to pay for, the most obvious option would be for Moshiri to resume talks with 777 Partners. Sources close to talks declined to say who the club was talking to but added that investment discussions were “very much active”.

Instead of buying a stake in the club, MSP have instead handed over a £100 million loan which will support the construction of Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock. However, there will be no club equity purchase which was expected to amount to £150 million when an exclusivity agreement was struck in May.

The timing of the deal collapsing piles more pressure on a club ownership that has faced years of criticism from fans. Everton have lost their opening two Premier League fixtures, to sit bottom of the table, and there have been bitter complaints about the team’s failure to recruit adequately over the summer.

The club is also preparing to appear before an independent commission on October 25 over its alleged breach of financial fair play rules. Executives have been confident they will prove they are compliant over charges which are understood to relate to a tax issue surrounding loans for the club’s new stadium. Everton have denied wrongdoing and said they were “prepared to robustly defend” their position.

However, after back-to-back relegation battles, fans are running out of patience with an existing regime which announced financial losses for the fifth successive year in March. Cumulative losses over the past five years now amount to more than £430 million.