Everton’s second offer to Sporting Club de Portugal striker Chermiti was ‘more enticing’, and they hope to finalise the deal for him early next week.
That’s according to Record who, backed up by O Jogo and A Bola, insist that a deal for the striker to move to Goodison Park is close to being completed.
The former backs up reports from yesterday stating Chermiti has not travelled with the Sporting squad for their friendly against Everton today as negotiations for his exit continue.
According to them the Toffees are still working out the final contract details, something which they hold to do in the next few hours.
They’ve ‘encountered difficulties’ finding an agreement with Chermiti after he turned down their first contract offer to him. The second ‘was more enticing’ but did not come soon enough for Everton to announce the deal yesterday as they had initially planned.
They’ve now pushed their timeline back to the beginning of next week but there is confidence everything can be finalised, particularly as Chermiti has already said goodbye to everyone at Sporting.
O Jogo, meanwhile, say that the player’s move to Everton is ‘imminent’ as he is currently discussing the last details of his contract with those in charge at Goodison Park.
There has been an issue on that front, but he is ‘certain’ he will be wearing Royal Blue next season and his absence from the squad travelling to England is a ‘clear sign’ the deal will be done.
Indeed, there is a belief that the striker could indeed fly to England tomorrow for a medical, such is the confidence that the minor hiccup over his contract will be overcome, and Everton will get the deal finalised.
A Bola, meanwhile, state that the player’s father and representative , Noureddine Chermiti, continues to negotiate the finer points of the contract, particularly salary, with Everton.
Only when that deal is struck will he be travelling to England, hence the striker’s absence from the Sporting contingent making the same trip this weekend.
The player will eventually sign a five-year deal at Goodison Park, with the terms between the two clubs now finalised on a €12.5m deal rising to €15m and Sporting retaining 20% of a future sale, something the other two newspapers echo.
