Everton not for sale insists owner but close to investment for new stadium

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has insisted the troubled club is not for sale but said he is close to a deal with a minority investor to help finance their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Moshiri has been searching for investment for almost a year and had described the cost of Bramley-Moore Dock as 500m before saying earlier this month it was 760m.

He had been in talks for several months with the American billionaire Maciej Kaminski but it is understood no discussions have taken place since the World Cup.

Moshiri claimed he has now found a partner who will provide extra funds and expertise as he said Everton, who are 19th in the Premier League and sacked manager Frank Lampard on Monday, are at their most critical time ever.

He told the clubs Fan Advisory Board: The club is not for sale but I have been talking to top investors, really quality, to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it myself and the reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors to Everton. We are close to having a deal done. It is not selling the club at all. It is bringing more expertise in terms of sponsorship, commercial development and a lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge.