Tom Cannon to exit Everton in £6m+ transfer as Leicester City win ‘extraordinary’ transfer race
Leicester City are set to win the race to sign Everton forward Tom Cannon, according to Alan Nixon.
The journalist wrote on his official Patreon account that the Foxes have agreed to pay £6million and the fee could rise.
Leicester entered what Nixon described as an “extraordinary race” for the in-demand striker as both Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanancho could depart on deadline day (1 September).
Preston, for whom Cannon scored eight goals in 20 Championship appearances on loan last season, reportedly offered £5m, gazumping an offer from Middlesbrough.
Sunderland were also named as an interested party as they look set to lose Ross Stewart to Southampton.
A great move
Cannon has been in demand pretty much all the way through the transfer window and initially it looked as though there would be race for the 20-year-old on loan.
However, Everton likely changed their stance when they realised they could get a decent fee for the youngster, and especially once they bolstered their attacking ranks with the signing of Udinese striker Beto and Sporting CP forward Youssef Chermiti.
Nixon noted that nearly half the Championship were interested in taking Cannon, and his form last season makes it easy to see why. He only joined Preston in January and made a huge contribution during his half a season at Deepdale.
In Leicester, he is joining a team who will likely be challenging for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Everton may even rue having to let Cannon leave on a full transfer, particularly given their own goalscoring issues in recent seasons. But they may need the money to fund any last-minute deals they can complete on deadline day.
In other Everton news, one pundit has offered an update on exit-linked midfielder Alex Iwobi live on talkSPORT.