Everton deny reports they have been put up for sale

Reports on Tuesday claimed the Toffees had been put up for sale

Everton have denied that they have been put up for sale by majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri. Reports on Tuesday claimed that the Toffees had been put up for sale 24 hours after they had sacked Frank Lampard, leaving them 19th in the Premier League. The Iranian-born businessman has been at the helm at Goodison Park since 2016 and despite heavy investment, has come under criticism from large sections of the supporters. However, in a recent video posted to the club's official website on Tuesday, Moshiri gave a definitive "no" as the answer when asked if he would be selling the club. He said: "The club is not for sale but I've been talking to top investors, real quality, to bridge the gap on the stadium. I can do it myself and the reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors into Everton for some of the reasons that the fans want improvement, more talent, and we are close to having a deal done. "It's not selling the club at all. It's just bringing more expertise in terms of global sponsorship, in terms of commercial development and a lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge. It's to secure that for Everton." Their search for a new manager has also gotten off to a difficult after reports emerged claiming that number one target, Marcelo Bielsa, had turned down the job. Paul Tait and Leighton Baines are taking charge on a temporary basis and are currently preparing the side for their game against top of the table Arsenal. Related links:

• Two of Everton’s choices to replace Frank Lampard have rejected them
• Everton contacted Jamie Carragher after he called them ‘worst run club in the country’
• Frank Lampard sacked by Everton