Everton are ready to submit a £20million bid for Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, according to the Mirror.
The newspaper report that Sam Allardyce is confident of beating Walcott’s former club Southampton to the 28-year-old’s signature.
The Mirror claim that Everton are ready to match Walcott’s wages at the Gunners, with the speed machine currently earning up to £140,000-a-week with bonuses.
It is said that Arsenal are likely to sell this month after Walcott’s latest snub, with the winger being left out of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea for Alex Iwobi, who had broken club rules just a couple of days earlier.
Good move for Everton?
This would be another stunning transfer statement by the Toffees, who have already completed a £27million deal for Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun.
Walcott has looked on the way out of the Emirates for a while now, but it looked as though Southampton may have stolen a march on the Toffees when they landed £75million for Virgil van Dijk.
For Everton to secure another big-money signing, especially after such an expensive summer, would be a bold move from chairman Farhad Moshiri.
Walcott still has a lot to offer in the Premier League, and pace in wide areas has been a big miss for Everton this year. He also has an excellent goal record of 108 goals from 398 Arsenal games, most of which have been played on the wing.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
It is still early days, and Everton are yet to submit that offer.
When they do, this one could move quickly, unless Southampton make a move themselves to secure their former youth star.
With Walcott’s wages the biggest issue here, if the Toffees are willing to match them, then they do indeed look the most likely destination.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10