Austrian sources say winger’s move to Everton done via Royal Blue Mersey
Arnautovic cover for Mirallas looks like
It’s looking like Stoke City winger Marko Arnautovic will become Ronald Koeman’s first outfield signing at Everton.
Sky Sports Austria are reporting that the player has already signed a four-year contract which will be made public tomorrow, with the transfer fee valued at around €15m.
Arnautovic was one of the first names
to be linked with Everton soon after Koeman’s appointment was confirmed in the middle of June.
TransferMarkt has the player valued at about £10 million, and he is primarily a left winger who can fill in as a striker when needed, much like Kevin Mirallas. The Belgian missed a bit of time last season with injuries and suspensions, with Roberto Martinez choosing to fill the vacant spot with Tom Cleverley or Arouna Kone instead of an out-and-out winger.
Stoke had purchased the Austrian international for £2.8 million from Werder Bremen three seasons ago. In that time he has 19 goals and 26 assists in 110 appearances across all competitions for Stoke. He was their top scorer last season with 12 goals.
Arnautovic had a poor Euro 2016 tournament for Austria, playing in all 270 minutes but failing to make an impression. He has 55 senior caps in all, with 11 goals.
The 27-year-old is entering the last year of his contract at the Potters, and though manager Mark Hughes has stated that he wants the player to stay, he will likely cash in on the winger while he still can, telling the club website –
“We are where we were with Marko, but we remain very hopeful of being able to keep him here.
“He isn't going to rush into any decision – clearly he has had an offer on the table from ourselves for a period of time now but his advisors want to take a look at the options for him.”
Read Full Article
Continue reading...
