Everton have reportedly held discussions with American investors over a £200m takeover attempt.
According to The Times, John Jay Moores and Charles Noell have signed a head of terms agreement and are now taking a closer look at the club's accounts.
If all goes to plan, the deal could reportedly be completed within six weeks.
Moores and Noel were close to investing in another Premier League side, Swansea City, earlier this year, but the deal fell through.
Moores is a former owner of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, while Baltimore-based Noell co-founded JMI Equity in the early 1990s.
