Everton ‘make £22m offer’ for Championship winger as Dyche eyes Demarai Gray replacement
Everton have reportedly made a verbal offer of £22m for Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemama, who they were close to signing in January.
Both Everton and Southampton had offers accepted for the Ghana international but he ultimately decided to make the switch to St Mary’s rather than Goodison Park.
Sulemana has made 18 appearances for the Saints, scoring two goals and making one assist so far. He was ultimately unable to prevent them from being relegated to the Championship, though.
As a result, the lightning-fast winger wants to leave Southampton before the transfer window closes, and Everton are once again in the mix for his signature.
Demarai Gray is expected to leave the Toffees imminently. The Merseyside club have already accepted an offer from Saudi club Al Shabab. If Gray reaches an agreement on personal terms with them, he will move on this summer.
Everton have already signed two wingers this summer – Arnaut Danjuma (loan) and Jack Harrison (loan), but it seems Sean Dyche wants another signing on top of the duo if Gray leaves.
Sulemana could prove to be a good addition, so it will be interesting to see if Everton can reach an agreement with Southampton.
According to Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath, Everton have made a ‘verbal offer’ for Sulemana, which has been rejected by Southampton.
On Twitter, he wrote:” Everton and OGC Nice have an interest in Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana.
“So far in discussions, verbal offer (approx £22m) from Everton has not been accepted. Southampton value Ghana international at £30m. Seen as player to fill void if Demarai Gray leaves.”
It’s no secret that Everton don’t have a lot of money to spend this summer. Their financial situation worsened on Wednesday when it was revealed by the Athletic that MSP Sports Capital’s talks to purchase a minority stake in the club had collapsed.
That is thought to be the reason why a move for another Southampton player, Che Adams, has stalled. Everton are now prioritising a move for Udinese striker Beto instead.
With that in mind, the Toffees will definitely have to sell Gray before they make any official offers for Sulemana. Even so, £30m may still prove to be too expensive for Dyche’s team.
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Everton have had a £22 million offer rejected for Kamaldeen Sulemana.
That’s according to journalist Mike McGrath, who has reported that the Toffees are still interested in signing the Southampton winger and see him as a replacement for Demarai Gray.
Everton are desperate to bring in a number of new attackers in the final days of the transfer window and see Sulemana as a good option, having been credited with interest earlier in the summer.
The youngster was previously considered one of the Danish Superliga’s most promising prospects during his time with Nordsjaelland and was linked with a number of European clubs before arriving at Rennes in 2021.
Southampton then paid a club record £22 million to bring Sulemana to the south coast in February after he netted five goals in Ligue 1.
The Ghana international failed to impress for the Saints as they were relegated from the Premier League, scoring his only two goals for the club on the final day of the campaign in a dramatic 4-4 draw with Liverpool.
Sulemana is yet to feature for Southampton in the Championship after suffering a muscle injury, though he has returned to training this week and could return to action soon.
Can Everton afford to sign Kamaldeen Sulemana?
Everton have remained in negotiations over a potential move for the 21-year-old and have already submitted a verbal offer of £22m – matching the fee that Southampton paid earlier this year. However, the Saints will demand around £30m to part ways with Sulemana.
The Toffees see Sulemana as Gray’s replacement if he is to leave Goodison Park next week. Saudi Arabia’s Al-Shabab have made their interest in the winger very clear, though they are yet to get a deal over the line.
Everton want to add both a striker and a winger to their squad in the final days of the window, having already seen a £25m bid for Udinese striker Beto accepted this weekend.
Given their difficult financial situation, it would be very surprising to see the club fork out over £50m for both Beto and Sulemana. Perhaps they will be hoping to include a loan into their offer to Southampton.
