Everton have agreed a £25million fee with Zenit St Petersburg for Axel Witsel, with the Belgium international set to be confirmed as the Toffee’s first major signing of the summer after contract agreements have been finalised.
The combative midfielder had been courted by such European luminaries as Inter Milan and fellow Premier League side Chelsea, however its believed the sides baulked at such a high transfer figure.
Zenit coach Mircea Lucescu commented on his wantaway prized asset: ‘He has spoken with the club and he has asked to leave. He has two offers from Italy and two from England.
‘The club placed a high valuation on him because he is an important player, one of international level. We are talking about a player who can do well in many teams.’
Whilst Manager Ronald Koeman will be thrilled with the purchase of such a high prifile midfielder, the Dutchman is unlikely to relinquish interest in Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly or Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, bt of which have been priced in the £30m+ category.
So what do we think Toffee’s fans? Surely things will be looking a little rosier once one big signing get on-board.