Sporting buys Everton rumour all but dead, but is there more?

Robb Heineman, one of the key figures named in the Everton takeover saga, has tweeted his acknowledgement of making a trip to Goodison Park in August (supposedly for the Duncan Ferguson testimonial), but has quashed any other rumours that there might be more happening behind the scenes. Heineman is one of the principals behind Sporting Group, the consortium that manages Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City.

However, multiple mainstream press sources have stated that there is American-backed interest in the Merseyside team, and even though exploratory talks might be underway, there are no concrete bids on the table as yet.

Phil McNulty is an established and well-respected football journalist who has no self-promotion or other selfish interests behind his motives in being a part of this story, so we are quite inclined to believe that if he states there is smoke, then surely something is ablaze somewhere.

Meanwhile, NBC Sports, which holds the Premier League television rights in the United States, has their football journalist Joe Prince-Wright all over this story as well.

Also heard #EFC could be available for just over $300 million (staff, Goodison & debt wiped) Debate over that though http://t.co/jhXBgGaYer

— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) October 16, 2015

Again, it's quite possible that the Sporting Group might not be who is behind this takeover bid we're hearing about, but to use an oft-heard metaphor, there is blood in the water and sharks are circling. Stay tuned.