Everton have made a breakthrough in talks with Besiktas over the signing of Cenk Tosun and the striker is now due to jet into the UK on Friday to put the finishing touches to a £25million transfer, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim that Tosun, 26, is poised to become Sam Allardyce’s first signing and is set to sign a four-and-a-half year deal at the start of next week.
The Mail report that Allardyce is keen to follow up the capture of the front man in January by adding Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi and a left-sided defender.
Tosun appeared to be waving goodbye to Besiktas fans on Thursday night when he scored in the 4-1 win over Osmanlispor in the Turkish Cup, which is likely to be his final game for the Istanbul giants.
The former Frankfurt striker has proven himself to be a goal machine with Besiktas this season, scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions, with four of them coming in the Champions League group stages.
OPINION
An Everton signing blitz in the winter window was always on the cards following the team’s wretched start to the season. The club have spent big since Farhad Moshiri started pumping in money, and that will continue next month. Tosun will provide Allardyce with a proven goalscorer who is comfortable leading the front line and has the pedigree and experience to quickly settle in the Premier League. The new manager does not want to leave it at that, and is also strongly pursuing midfield colossus N’Zonzi, who would also represent a big-name arrival, and a new defender. Don’t bet against Everton securing all three new signing before the January window shuts. The club are ambitious and have deep pockets. Big Sam has made a huge impact since taking over and will be keen to get his way and be backed to the hilt next month.