Peter Kenyon, the former chief executive of Manchester United and Chelsea, is spearheading a consortium who are in discussions to buy Everton.
It is understood that the group indicated an original willingness to pay £400million for the club - but that figure is significantly short of the amount current owner Farhad Moshiri values the Merseysiders.
It is understood Moshiri wants in the region of £550m before considering selling.
Talks over the potential sale are ongoing.
The group includes American businessman John Thornton, who is chief executive of mining company Barrick Gold, and Maciek Kaminski, the chief executive of Minneapolis-based company Talon Real Estate.