Folarin Balogun remained in Monaco when Everton’s late summer approach failed, but the Premier League club’s plans are now shifting on a much larger scale. The Friedkin Group has confirmed it is considering fresh investment options for Everton, including the sale of a controlling stake less than two years after taking over the club.
The move
Everton said Friedkin is reviewing possibilities for new investment and has not ruled out selling its majority holding. The Houston-based group bought the club in December 2024, at a time when Everton faced serious financial uncertainty and major operational challenges.
The initial intention had been to bring in outside investors while retaining control through the sale of a minority stake. A full exit is now also under consideration.
There is no indication of an urgent sale. Friedkin is prepared to wait for a buyer it believes can take Everton forward, rather than accept any available proposal. The club said it would consider only parties judged capable of being suitable custodians and building on the progress made since the takeover.
Everton sit seventh in the Premier League after five matches, although their summer recruitment has not fully satisfied supporters. Balogun was among the late targets, but the Monaco forward stayed in the Principality.
The French season around it
For Monaco, Balogun’s decision to remain preserved another attacking option after Everton’s failed move. The United States international had been the subject of interest near the end of the transfer window, but no agreement took him back to English football.
- Folarin Balogun: Monaco forward who remained at the Ligue 1 club after Everton’s late-window attempt.
- AS Cannes: French club also owned by the Friedkin Group.
- AS Roma: Friedkin’s Italian club, part of the group’s wider football portfolio.
Friedkin’s sporting interests could extend beyond football. The group is also pursuing plans to establish an NHL franchise in Houston, a project already acknowledged by the North American hockey league.
That broader expansion forms part of the background to Everton’s investment review, with the group weighing how to reshape its commitments while insisting that any new owner must be able to push the Merseyside club to a higher level.
