Much has been made of multi-club models in football, with Everton now involved with Roma.
Some would say that ownerships could get distracted by multi-club ownership or even put one club as a priority.
Well, so far, both Everton and Roma have been managed efficiently, with it looking like neither club has gotten in each other’s way as The Friedkin Group seemingly look to keep operation separate.
Mega money signings were expected for Everton as a Roma expert detailed what the owners could bring.
There haven’t been any signs of this so far, but the two clubs could end up working together for a transfer in a controversial manner.
Sao Paulo v Flamengo - Brasileirao 2024
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The Friedkin Group’s PSR ploy with Everton target Wesley
A new transfer strategy has appeared, as Everton want Wesley Franca, but the catch is that The Friedkins could loan him straight away to Roma.
It would be the first of this kind of deal around the club, with The Friedkins putting forward a £15.5m proposal for Wesley.
O Everton, da Inglaterra, acenou ao Flamengo a possibilidade de pagar 18 milhões de euros por Wesley, e a ideia seria emprestar para a Roma, clube que tem os mesmos donos do time inglês, como informou a imprensa italiana.
Porém, o Fla logo avisou que os valores estão bem abaixo… pic.twitter.com/HNKtWcY9VN
— Venê Casagrande (@venecasagrande) July 2, 2025
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The deal has brought concern as Everton fans see signing Wesley as a ‘waste’, but this transfer could certainly have its positives.
£26m seems quite steep to loan someone out straight away, especially with Everton only having £50m-100m to spend, but The Friedkins have found a way to benefit both Everton and Roma with this deal.
Finance Expert Adam Williams explains to Everton.News how Everton’s PSR will actually receive a ‘modest boost’ from this deal, and why Roma can find benefits toward their UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations.
“There are a few ways of looking at this, if indeed this slightly strange arrangement does go through in the structure reported,” Williams said
“On the one hand, I think it speaks to the fact that the Friedkins are confident in terms of Everton’s PSR position. They clearly have enough headroom to carry the amortisation charge for Wesley and do their own business in the summer without being in risk of a breach, whereas the situation at Roma with UEFA’s FFP system is more precarious.
“Roma have to comply with UEFA FFP because they are playing in the Europa League next season. UEFA’s system is stricter and more multifaceted than the Premier League’s. Under the European model, you have to limit your spending on wages, transfers, and agents fees to 70 per cent of annual turnover plus profit on player sales. That’s an annual test. You also have to limit your losses over a rolling three-year period to about £75m.
How the Premier League and UEFA’s FFP rules differ (14:27)
“By holding off the full purchase of Wesley, they might have more time to get their house in order. Everton are a useful conduit in that sense, as far as Roma are concerned.
“In terms of the impact on PSR, if the fee is about £30m and he signs a five-year deal, it will impact Everton’s profit or loss by about £6m in 2025-26. When they then sell him for around the same fee a year later, they’ll register a £6m profit on his sale. So once you zoom out on the timeline, it will be net neutral as far as PSR is concerned, assuming that Roma pay 100 per cent of his wages. If they pay a loan fee as well, then Everton will actually be up on the deal, though I suspect there won’t be a loan fee.
“Release clauses and obligations to buy often have a clause in them that reflects inflation, so Everton might actually end up with some profit on paper next year if that is the case. In real-terms cash, that won’t be of any benefit, but the PSR limit doesn’t increase with inflation, so it might give them a very, very modest boost in that sense.”
READ MORE: David Moyes open to welcoming former player back to Everton in shock move
What happens to Wesley deal if Everton qualify for Europe
It’s a lot to take in, but in short this strategy for Wesley is positive for Everton in the sense that they feel they have the headroom with PSR, so they can afford to help Roma out with a loan.
The Friedkins have been seemingly holding out on the chance to use both clubs in a deal but it appears a transfer for the 21-year-old is the perfect moment.
Profit will be gained from this deal, which is the main thing, and on the other hand Moyes will get an exciting player with a year of development at Roma.
Wesley’s statistics in Flamengo 3-1 Chelsea (FIFA Club World Cup)
Minutes played 82
Tackles won 4/4 (Most tackles in match)
Passing accuracy % 91%
Recoveries 3
Ground duels won % 70%
But there is a chance Everton qualify for Europe in the future, which could then complicate the deal, and Williams has explained what would happen in this case.
“One thing to note is that if the deal does go through like this and Everton happen to qualify for Europe in the next two seasons, UEFA would examine the deal for fair market value and could theoretically make the two clubs adjust the value of the transfer for the purposes of FFP,” he said.
“On an ethical level, this is the sort of thing you are going to get in a multi-club model. I don’t like it, but it’s exactly what Everton have signed up for with Friedkin. It will be quid-pro-quo and, if Everton need help with PSR in the future and Roma are in a position to help them, they will.”
So, on the whole, it seems beneficial for both parties to make this transfer happen, especially with The Friedkins’ multi-club ownership not being a ‘problem’.
Although a £26m fee for a player the Toffees won’t even get straight away is a risk, it happens to actually be a sneaky way of getting past PSR, and although controversial, The Friedkins’ plan with Wesley could be a masterstroke.