EVERTON have issued an emphatic denial over a report that club chairman Bill Kenwright is today flying to meet an overseas buyer lined up to takeover the club.

The report suggested Mr Kenwright was hoping to seal a deal worth around £180m and talks were in an advanced stage.

The buyer was reported not to be Indian billionaire Anil Ambani who was linked to the club last month.

Club spokesman Ian Ross told the Daily Post: “This story is untrue. Bill Kenwright is not flying to the near East, the Middle East or anywhere else today, tomorrow, or any time soon.

“In fact he is in London casting a new show.

“However as we have made clear many times, Bill Kenwright is happy to talk to any potential buyer who has a deal which stacks up financially for the club.”

Reports in the Middle East last night suggested continued “serious interest” in Everton from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

It is believed Amanda Staveley, the woman who brokered Manchester City’s buy-out by an Abu Dhabi investment group, is representing the potential buyer.

She has previously worked on behalf of Dubai International Capital, the group who hoped to buy Liverpool FC from Tom Hicks and George Gillett.