Everton and Manchester City are in advanced negotiations over striker Wilfried Bony, according to Dutch publication Voetbal International. The paper is reporting that the striker will move to Goodison Park for around €30 million (£25 million), a profit for The Blues on the striker.
Bony moved to The Etihad on a long-term deal in the January of 2015, as Manuel Pellegrini looked to shore up a struggling front-line stumbling to a second-place finish behind Chelsea. However, the Ivorian struggled to get a place in the team, and got no better during last season, coming in for a lot of criticism from fans for his performances.
The expectation was that once Pep Guardiola arrived this summer, Bony would be shipped out, but other than some reported interest from Swansea in taking him back to Wales, few clubs have made a move for the forward.
Bony’s car was pictured in Liverpool last week, sparking rumours he may be set to move to The Toffees, potentially as part of the John Stones deal, but with the defender’s record move to City now announced, and Bony still at the club, that has failed to come to fruition.
A move to Everton for the striker may depend on Romelu Lukaku returning to Chelsea this window, but it’s thought Ronald Koeman is eager to bring in the City frontman either way, and the noticeable absence of Bony from the newly-released Champions League squad for the tie against Steaua Bucuresti could indicate a departure is imminent.
Bony has played 46 times in the 18 months since moving to Manchester for £24 million, scoring 10 goals in all competitions.
UPDATE: The Croydon Advertiser is reporting that Crystal Palace are also interested the striker, and could challenge Everton for his signature.
