Everton are on course for a £200m takeover deal within days - but not with the US consortium that has been in negotiations with owner Bill Kenwright.
It is believed the club's main shareholders - including Kenwright - have agreed the sale of a 75% stake required for a deal to go through.
The buyer's identity remains secret, with reports of Middle East interest.
It will not be the group led by former San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores and fellow entrepreneur Charles Noell.
After a decade-long takeover saga, it is understood there has been a growing intent to do a deal in recent months, fuelled by serious interest from a number of parties.
Former Arsenal shareholder Farhad Moshiri has been linked with a potential takeover after selling his stake in The Gunners to second-largest shareholder and business partner Alisher Usmanov on Friday.
Forbes states the 60-year-old has a personal wealth of around £1.3 billion and the sale of his shares in Arsenal to Usmanov may have raised around £200m - close to the asking price for Everton.
Moores and Noell had been granted a period of exclusivity to study Everton's finances and were even believed to have travelled to Merseyside for further talks in January before the FA Cup fourth-round victory over Carlisle United.
