Kieran Maguire rubbishes Everton takeover claim after hearing 'whispers from Goodison'

Farhad Moshiri remains unlikely to relinquish his controlling stake in Everton despite recent reports to the contrary.

That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest "whispers from Goodison" about the future ownership of the Toffees.

Moshiri went public with his desire to sell a portion of his shares in September last year but has insisted that he is only willing to divest a minority stake in order to finance the construction of the club's soon-to-be new stadium.

However, The Guardian reported on Tuesday (24 January) that the British-Iranian billionaire has now put Everton up for a full sale with an asking price of £500million.

The Toffees have recorded losses of over £370m in the last three years alone and are yet to appoint a new manager following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.

But Maguire does not believe that Moshiri is looking to abandon ship yet.

"The report doesn't commit Moshiri to a full sale," he told Football Insider's Adam Williams.

"It's difficult to see white smoke coming out of Everton in terms of a change of ownership at the moment.

"Moshiri doesn't want to back himself into a corner by committing to selling all of his shares.

"The whispers coming from Goodison are that it will still be a minority sale and that he will push back against what we have seen in The Guardian.

"However, in the world of football finance, you can never say never."

In other news, Sean Dyche has agreement in principle to be new Everton manager.