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Everton could land £550m Bramley Moore stadium boost on 4th July

Everton could be in line to receive a funding boost for their new £550m stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.

The Toffees have been in takeover purgatory for most of the last year, with 777 Partners continually unable to convince the Premier League to ratify their equity purchase.

That saga appears to be reaching its end game as AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin has been granted exclusivity by Farhad Moshiri to agree the final terms of a takeover.

Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

The US billionaire will likely be at the helm when Everton move into their 52,800-seater stadium in the summer of 2025.

There are hurdles that the club needs to overcome in that time, including financing the remaining construction costs.

Private equity firm GDA Luma Capital have offered Everton around £150m in funds for the project, which was originally forecasted to cost £500m but has since reached close to £800m.

The remaining funds for the stadium come from a mixture of sources.

One of those was set to be public funding, but Everton announced in 2022 that they would no longer be taking a loan from Liverpool City Council having found an alternative arrangement.

But with a political overhaul on the horizon at Westminster, that situation could theoretically change in the near future.

Labour government could provide funds for Everton stadium

Almost every poll has Labour with a significant lead ahead of the general election on 4th July.

Kier Starmer is widely expected to be the next prime minister and has today been addressing how he would tackle political issues facing football, which is within the scope of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

He has ruled out a 10 per cent tax on Premier League transfers but has said he will give the soon-to-be-implemented independent regulator for English football a number of powers to introduce a new owners and directors’ test as well as backstop measures to prevent breakaway competitions and clubs changing their colours and hone grounds. 

It has also been suggested that, separate from the regulator, a Labour government could provide funds for infrastructure projects that would provide wider economic benefit.

It is is believed that this is part of the reason that Sir Jim Ratcliffe hosted Kier Starmer at Old Trafford recently, where a major redevelopment is planned.

Ratcliffe has said there is a good case for public funds for the stadium, and it could theoretically be that Friedkin and Everton’s financiers feel the same could be said about the development at Bramley Moore Dock.

What is the latest with Everton’s takeover and how will it affect the Bramley Moore Dock stadium?

A field of nine takeover hopefuls is believed to have narrowed to now that Friedkin appears to be Moshiri’s favoured bidder.

Among the parties interested were MSP Sports Capital and a consortium by local businessmen Andy Bell and George Downing, all of whom have already provided funds for the stadium.

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

Friedkin commands assets of around £5bn and could choose to fund the rest of the stadium himself, or seek private equity funding either in return for interest repayments or a chunk of equity in the club.

Either way, Everton are confident that the impressive stadium, for which they are now signing a number of sponsorship deals, will open as planned in time for the 2024-25.