(Bloomberg) -- AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin is in advanced talks to acquire financially-troubled Everton FC from owner Farhad Moshiri, according to people with knowledge of the matter. 

Moshiri currently favors Friedkin’s proposal for the Premier League football club and is seeking to hammer out detailed terms of a deal, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. It is not clear whether Moshiri will keep a part of his 94% shareholding in the club if the deal goes through.

Everton has been in play since Moshiri’s exclusivity period to be acquired by 777 Partners expired on May 31, opening the door to other bidders.

Friedkin is chief executive officer of The Friedkin Group, which owns Serie A club Roma and AS Cannes in France. Any deal would be subject to further due diligence, talks could still fall apart, and other parties remain interested, the people said. The BBC and Athletic earlier reported that Friedkin was closing in on a deal. 

A spokesperson for Friedkin Group declined to comment. A spokesman for Moshiri declined to comment.

Aside from owning Roma, the Friedkin Group is one of the world’s largest independent Toyota distributors and owns a collection of award-winning luxury resorts, according to its website. Friedkin himself pilots planes as a hobby. He bought Roma in 2020 and in 2022 they won the Europa Conference League under head coach Jose Mourinho who has since departed.

If a deal between the Roma owner and Moshiri is agreed, Liverpool-based Everton would become the latest football club to become part of what is known as a multiclub group. Globally, 372 teams are now part of these groups, according to the football consultancy CIES.

UEFA is currently deciding whether to allow Spain’s Girona to enter the European Champions League alongside Manchester City, given that both teams are owned by the City Football Group.

While Roma has played in Europe recently, Everton hasn’t qualified for a European competition since 2017. Both are historical teams that have passionate fan bases. Everton will be moving to a new purpose built stadium at the beginning of the season after next.

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