Everton deal for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil likely to be completed within 24 hours
The deal to bring Dwight McNeil to Everton from Burnley is set to be completed by Thursday 28 July, according to Sky Sports.
The Toffees motored through the stages of this deal during the course of Wednesday, and it appears that a deal could be completely sealed within 24 hours.
Fabrizio Romano had earlier reported that the club’s were in “full agreement” on a package that could rise to £20million for the 22-year-old Clarets winger, but that the medical was ongoing.
But now it appears that just a day after the club announced the arrival of Sporting loanee Ruben Vinagre as the second summer singing, the third will be tied up fully.
Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth said in a clip on the channel’s Twitter account on Wednesday evening that a source had told them a medical was done today and that the deal could be finished “as quickly as in the next 24 hours”.
Sewn up
There could be some concerns at the amount of money being spent on McNeil, who only contributed one assist across 40 appearances in all competitions last season.
But in light of the frustration that has been building during this window it will be of some relief that the wheels have started moving in the right direction.
Fans may have been more excited to see fellow Claret Maxwel Cornet on his way to Goodison Park, considering his far greater output for the relegated side.
Although the Ivorian has a £17.5million release clause and represents excellent value, the payment structure is likely to be the difference, allowing the McNeil deal to move along much more smoothly by deferring chunks of the fee.
Fans will have to hope that it was just a down year that the young English wide man suffered in the previous campaign, as he was very highly rated as a teenager and over the preceding three seasons had managed a combined seven goals and 16 assists.
Manager Frank Lampard has a history of working well with young attacking talent so there is potential for this one to be a great success.
But while it is encouraging that Everton have got a deal moving so quickly there will be a slight concern that disappointments elsewhere may have led to them rushing this decision.