Everton’s proposed sale to 777 Partners has suffered another potential setback with three of their rivals informing the American investment firm that they intend to sue the club for £300million if they are found guilty of breaching spending rules later this month.
Mail Sport has learned that Burnley, Leeds and Leicester have written a joint letter to 777 asking them if they are aware of their plans to sue Everton pending the outcome of a Premier League independent tribunal on 25 October.
The trio’s letter to 777 was initially addressed to the Premier League, who are understood to have replied acknowledging the correspondence and stating they will pass on the information to Everton’s would-be new owners.
The three clubs are unhappy that Everton’s charges were not dealt with last season as they believe the delay may have helped Everton escape relegation by avoiding a points deduction, with Leeds and Leicester going down on the last day of the season as Sean Dyche’s side survived by two points.
Mail Sport revealed before the end of last season that five clubs (also including Southampton and Nottingham Forest) had written to the Premier League arguing that they would deserve compensation if Everton were found guilty, and the matter has now been escalated ahead of the independent hearing.
Burnley, Leeds and Leicester have formally written to the Premier League notifying them of their intention to sue, with the clubs understood to be ready to claim £100million each based on the loss of top-flight income for one season.
Burnley were relegated from the Premier League the previous season when Everton’s spending also attracted complaints after they recorded three-year rolling losses of £372m, although the club avoided being charged due to being permitted allowances attributed to Covid.
Forest and Southampton are understood to have withdrawn from the anti-Everton alliance, as the former stayed in the Premier League whilst the latter finished 11 points behind fourth-bottom Everton so would not have survived even if the Goodison Park club had been docked points.
Everton were charged by the Premier League in March after publishing updated accounts for last season, showing a £313.5m loss for the previous three years.
Profit & Sustainability rules prohibit clubs losing more than £105m over a three-year period, although spending on infrastructure, women’s football and community projects are deducted from the calculations.
Clubs can also claim allowances for losses directly attributable to Covid. In their most recent accounts, Everton say Covid losses amounted to £90.4m over the last three years, although that only brings their total loss down to £223.1m — well over the limit.
Any legal action from other clubs would be serious blow to 777’s plans to buy Everton, which is already under scrutiny due to unanswered questions over the source and sufficiency of their funding.
The Miami-based investment firm have loaned Everton around £20m to help with cash-flow issues after agreeing a deal in principle to buy the club from Farhad Moshiri last month, but the club remain in a perilous financial position which would be exacerbated by a lengthy court case.
Moshiri has made it clear he will not provide any more funding after spending over £750m during a turbulent seven-year period in charge, while the club also have to find around £300m to complete the building of their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.