"1h ago
08:34
Ed Aarons Ed Aarons
Everton are close to agreeing a club record deal to sign Yacine Brahimi from FC Porto, with the Algeria forward expected on Merseyside on Wednesday to complete a medical.
Despite signing Yannick Bolasie for an initial £25m from Crystal Palace, Ronald Koeman is still searching for more reinforcements to his attack and has targeted Brahimi and Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini.
But while progress in the move for Gabbiadini has so far stalled, negotiations with Porto for the 26-year-old are ongoing, with Everton offering a deal that could be worth up to £35m. The Portuguese club has yet to accept that, although it is expected an agreement will be reached and Brahimi will move to Goodison Park.
Born in Paris, he began his career at Rennes before moving to Spanish side Granada in 2012. Brahimi moved to Porto in 2014 for around £5m, although 80% of that fee was paid by investment group Doyen Sports.
Capable of playing on either wing or in the No10 role, Brahimi scored seven league goals in both of his two seasons in Portugal. He is currently on international duty with Algeria ahead of their African Nations Cup qualifier against Lesotho.
Despite reports in Italy on Tuesday that Evertons had ended their interest in Gabbiadini, it is understood that a deal could still be reached for the Italy striker. An offer of around £16m was made earlier in the week, with Koeman also interested in signing Wilfried Bony from Manchester City"
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Guardian.co.uk