'Going to Deteriorate' - Finance expert: New takeover deal in August or Everton likely have to sell stars

Everton will be under pressure to sell star players before the end of the transfer window if there is no sign of a new takeover deal by then, according to Kieran Maguire.

Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast (31 July) the University of Liverpool’s football finance expert accepted the club’s assertion that they are “not in a precarious” position financially in the wake of Dan Friedkin’s failed takeover, but only for now.

He says there needs to be a replacement deal on the horizon within a matter of weeks or the Toffees’ will be forced to consider selling one of the “crown jewels” in their squad before 30 August.

Maguire said: “They’re not in a precarious position in July or August but by the time we get to November things are going to deteriorate.

“Now if there’s no deal done, or there’s no sign of a deal, by the end of next month I think there would be pressure on the club to try to bridge that gap perhaps by selling one of their crown jewels in terms of players.”

Manchester United have been knocked back by Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite’s future immediately leaps to the top of the agenda if Everton are faced with sacrificing players to bring in funding.

The Toffees have dismissed two bids from Manchester United for being well below their £70m-plus asking price, and have maintained that the stance has not changed since the takeover fell through [David Ornstein, 20 July].

Amadou Onana has gone to Aston Villa for around £50million [Ornstein, 13 July], and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is already expected to go as well with the ownership situation ending hopes of a new contract [The Times, 19 July].

Jordan Pickford would probably generate a big fee but the England number one leaving would arguably be even more of a blow than being forced to sell the star centre-back.

The club’s claims of being uneffected by the ownership chaos have been dismissed as merely a negotiating tactic by The Esk (20 July), who is convinced the club cannot now hold on to any players they wanted to keep.

Farhad Moshiri is said to have another offer on the table already [Maguire, 23 July] and other bidders are expected to come forward [Matt Slater, 19 July], but whether any are suitable or able to navigate a messy situation successfully within the next few months is a different matter.

Reinforcements are thankfully still coming in at present but Sean Dyche will clearly hope not too much still goes out, so that Jake O’Brien can be a centre-back partner to Branthwaite and not his replacement.

In other Everton news, a £22million-plus striker bid has emerged amid the Toffees’ pursuit of a Premier League striker.

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