REPORT: Everton still frontrunners to SIGN Quality defender despite HUGE amount BIDDED by Evangelos Marinakis….. Nuno most surely do what Sean Dyche did to win over player.
Everton Football Club is close to finalizing a permanent transfer for the Irish defender from Lyon, with a €20 million fee agreed upon. The two clubs are currently completing the necessary paperwork.
While Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Ajax also expressed interest in the 23-year-old, O’Brien has chosen to continue his career with Everton. French sports publication L’Equipe reports that Nottingham Forest even offered a higher fee to Lyon, but failed to convince O’Brien to join them.
Everton plans to conduct a medical examination for O’Brien on Monday in Merseyside to complete the formalities. The defender is expected to sign a five-year contract, marking his return to England just a year after Crystal Palace sold him to Lyon for €1 million.
As part of the agreement, Lyon will retain a 10% sell-on clause in the deal with Everton.