Everton could use Ellis Simms to seal Viktor Gyokeres transfer
Everton could use Ellis Simms to seal a player plus cash transfer for in-demand Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, according to the Daily Mail.
The Toffees attacker is attracting enquiries from Championship clubs Ipswich Town, Swansea City and Coventry after thriving on loan at Sunderland in the first half of last season, where he netted seven goals in 17 outings.
Portuguese outlet Record previously reported on 3 June that Everton were fighting Sporting CP, Leeds United and Newcastle for Gyokeres’ signature this summer, with a fee of £11.2million thought to be enough for the Championship outfit to budge.
In his Transfer Confidential for the Daily Mail, journalist Simon Jones wrote: “Everton have an interest in Coventry’s popular striker Viktor Gyokeres, which may open doors to a possible exchange plus cash, but the Sweden international has strong interest from Sporting Lisbon and the likes of Brentford, Wolves and West Ham.”
Handy boost
Although the likes of Sporting and Newcastle may be in the front seat for the 14-capped Sweden international’s services due to their financial strength, this update will give Toffees fans hope that a deal could still be on the cards.
Gyokeres took the Championship by storm on his way to 21 goals and 10 assists from 46 appearances last year, a total that was only bettered by Middlesbrough’s Chuba Akpom.
He looks a far more attractive proposition than Simms right now, with the latter never quite getting going under Sean Dyche despite scoring a crucial goal against Chelsea in the relegation run-in.
This would be a clear upgrade if Everton could get this deal over the line, and it would go a long way to resolving the attacking deficiencies that have plagued the club for many years now.
Dyche isn’t set to be given a huge budget this summer due to the club’s FFP troubles and the finances that are being pumped into the Bramley Moore-Dock Stadium development, so a player plus cash transfer looks an extremely smart option for the club to pursue.
In other Everton news, an FA Cup winning striker is on Sean Dyche’s wishlist for this summer.