Demarai Gray set for £10million Saudi move as Everton secure transfer sweetener – Sky Sports
Everton are expected to have a sell-on clause included in the £10million deal to sell Demarai Gray to Al-Ettifaq, according to Sky Sports.
The outlet reported via Twitter on Wednesday (6 September) that the Jamaica international attacker’s move to the Steven Gerrard-managed Saudi side was in the “advanced stages”, and that the bonus element was due to be part of the agreement on top of the “expected” eight-figure fee.
The move is likely to be sealed the same day as the 27-year-old departs Goodison Park after two seasons.
Gray fell down the pecking order under Sean Dyche last season and has now apparently fallen out with the Toffees boss over his exit from the club [Liverpool Echo, 5 September].
Bonus
At this point anything to make the move more financially beneficial to the club has to be seen as a good thing since it looks pretty clear that Gray producing anything on the pitch for Dyche has become all but impossible.
Alex Iwobi’s deadline day move to Fulham has complicated matters to leave the Everton boss with only three senior wingers.
And with Jack Harrison yet to feature at all after arriving from Leeds United injured Dyche is short on numbers at the position, having been unsuccessful in adding any late signings before the window shut.
A sale price more than five times what Gray signed for two years ago [Sky Sports] is positive, but all things considered it is hardly a King’s ransom for a player who was one of the more effective attacking options over a pair of rough campaigns.
But with the club seemingly in need of cash boosts whenever they can get them in the market it could prove to be important at some point down the line to get an extra return on the Gray sale.
Losing two senior wingers, to negate the loan arrivals of Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma, isn’t a positive development in itself, but after the club managed to get a late-window windfall on long-forgotten Niels Nkounkou the sell-on clause may at least be a silver lining.
In other Everton news, Alan Myers has issued a “huge” verdict on the Toffees’ investment decision with offers on the table.