Potential new Everton owners continue to line up after 777 Partners’ efforts to acquire the Blues collapsed.

The Miami-based investment group saw their deal with owner Farhad Moshiri fall through after they failed to meet the deadline over their shared purchase agreement with the club’s majority shareholder. As a result, the British-Iranian businessman could enter negotiations with other interested bidders.

With the opportunity to take over Everton as they enter their final year at Goodison Park before embarking on a new journey at the Bramley Moore Dock Stadium. However, news of the collapse involving 777 has sparked an influx of interested parties in taking over the Blues.

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US billionaire Dan Friedkin, Vatche Manoukian, Andy Bell and George Downing are among the names interested in taking ownership of the Blues but who are they are what has been reported?

Andy Bell and George Downing

Andy Bell and George Downing emerged as potential contenders to take over Everton; both are successful businessmen and supporters of the Blues.

Bell’s Blythe Capital played a role in securing funding for the stadium development last year. They both were prominent in MSP Sports Capital’s bid to take a 25 percent stake that could have been a foundation for further investment.

While 777 struck an agreement with Moshiri over MSP, the consortium still lent more than £150m to help Everton meet costs related to the Bramley-Moore Dock project.

Bell is the founder and former chief executive of the investment giant AJ Bell, which he led for two decades before stepping down in 2022. The 58-year-old businessman went to school in Rainford and studied at the University of Nottingham.

Downing, 61, is the founder of Downing, a business that started in construction and has since expanded into property management and other areas. The firm has been involved in developing student accommodation schemes to the value of around £1bn.

It is involved in projects from London to Newcastle and formerly took over the historic Port of Liverpool building, one of the city’s Three Graces, overseeing a multi-million pound restoration.

What has been reported?

The ECHO understands that they’re both in discussions about spearheading a new bid to take control of the Blues from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.

Moshiri is on the hunt for an exit route once again after the collapse of a bid from 777 Partners marked the end of a third period of exclusive talks without resolution in two years.

The British-Iranian businessman’s intentions will dictate what happens next. He has said he received unsolicited approaches throughout his dealings with 777 Partners but remained convinced the group was the best option.

It has been previously reported that Bell and Downing were engaging with specialists as they consider external funding options that would enable them to front a bid for Everton. They were frontrunners for board positions in the first MSP deal after forming part of that effort.

Bell is listed as the sole director of a new vehicle called Toffee Ventures, a private company that was incorporated last month and is listed on Companies House as a business within the bracket of sports and recreation education.

Michael Dell

Michael Saul Dell is the founder of Dell Technologies, one of the world’s largest technology infrastructure companies. It has been said that the Texan businessman is the 10th richest man in the world, with Bloomberg’s billionaire index reporting that Dell’s net worth is $106billion, placing him 14th among the world’s most wealthy individuals.

What has been reported?

Sky Sports News reported this week