Everton: Stoke forward on the verge; Koulibaly update; forward close to leaving

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Evertonians have awoken to the news this morning that Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic is close to completing a move to Goodison Park. The Austrian international was linked with a move to the club just two days ago and Sky in Austria are reporting that Everton boss Ronald Koeman is set to make the player his first major signing.

The 27-year-old has delayed extending his current deal at the Britannia Stadium, which is up next summer, and Everton have reportedly activated the £12.5 million release clause that was inserted into the contract.

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Arnautovic has developed into one of the Premier League’s most thrilling players under the tutelage of Mark Hughes. Prior to his move to the Potteries, he had a reputation for being a hot-headed troublemaker, but appears to have grown up significantly and the time is now right for him to make the move away from Stoke. Whilst his reputation may precede him, and may put some Everton supporters off, the fee being bandied about is certainly fair value for a player of Arnautovic’s quality.

Although capable of playing as a centre-forward, the Vienna-born player has predominantly starred on the left-wing for his current side. This position is certainly one that Everton could do with strengthening, with neither Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon or Arouna Kone doing enough to consolidate their spot in the first eleven last term. All impressed at times, but a consistent performer is required, and the right man for the job could well be Arnautovic, however, he may price himself out of a move if his reported wage demands of £80,000 a week are to be believed.

Meanwhile, in what is now becoming one of the summer’s most tedious transfer sagas, with progress occurring at less than a snail’s pace, Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent has announced that the player intends to leave current club Napoli. Regular gossip column readers will have read that he is on his way to Premier League multiple times in the past few weeks, but this is now the first major development since the player was first linked with both Everton and Chelsea last month.

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Bruno Satin has made it clear that his client will not sign a new deal with the Italian club, who he had previously held talks with about an improved contract, and the news will surely come as a huge encouragement to both English clubs.

With John Stones supposedly set to leave for Manchester City at some point this summer, Koeman appears to see Koulibaly as the ideal replacement. The fee required to prise him away from Naples is believed to be in the region of £40 million, and whilst this seems extremely steep, the reported £50 million that the Toffees will receive for Stones is what will fund the move.

Finally, the Daily Star are persisting with the story about Romelu Lukaku returning to Chelsea this summer. Again, the transfer seems unlikely considering the Blues would have to splash out considerably more than the £28 million they sold him for two years ago.

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The 23-year-old has long been linked with a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs this transfer window but nothing appears to have materialised just yet for the Belgian international. If Everton can tie Lukaku, who scored 25 times last term, down to a new contract then it may well prove to be their most important signing of the summer.

Players with the goalscoring ability of Lukaku are not easy to find, particularly without the offer of European football, and therefore it will not be a straightforward task for Koeman to replace his primary goal threat. The player’s agent, Mino Raiola, has even suggested that his client could stay at Goodison Park following the arrival of a new manager and owner. There is still a long way to go before Everton fans can relax on this front, but the chances of them keeping hold of Lukaku are certainly encouraging at this stage.

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