Demarai Gray agrees to Saudi transfer after £12million bid made to Everton

Al-Shabab have offered Everton £12million to sign Demarai Gray and have reached an agreement with the player, according to Sport Italia.

The outlet reported on their website on 27 August that the Jamaica international winger has said yes to the Saudi side but a deal has not yet been struck at club level, although they are in “advanced negotiations”.

Gray, 27, has been linked to an exit for weeks and has attracted varied interest from the Middle East and within the Premier League.

Sky Sports had reported on 21 August that the fee had been agreed between Everton and Al-Shabab, with the hold up down to replacements needing to come in first.

Gray appeared to be on the way to Fulham after personal terms were agreed before they signed former Wolves man Adama Traore.

Everton have already sold the likes of Ellis Simms and Ishe Samuels Smith this summer.

Imminent?

While the Saudi transfer window stays open later than the Premier League version there won’t be any time to do anything with the money if this deal doesn’t go through pretty quickly.

It looks like a substantial amount is now being spent on Beto as Everton finally land the senior striker they have been unsuccessfully chasing for a year.

So it may be that the cash from the Gray exit is earmarked to fit into whatever payment schedule the club have agreed with Udinese for the Portuguese.

Sean Dyche has brought in Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison on loan to cover for Gray’s exit, although the latter is still out injured along with Dyche’s preferred men Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil.

In Everton’s current situation £12m should be a significant help, but given Gray has a year left on his contract and an option for another 12 months after that it feels low.

Were he a player the club were desperate to get rid of with few takers it might not be too bad, but when multiple Premier League sides and more than one from the Saudi Pro League have been in for him it feels a like the Toffees could get more.

The same was true of Simms’ £8m move to Coventry City earlier this summer, and arguably Samuels-Smith’s to Chelsea for £4m, so questions may need to be asked about the negotiating at Goodison Park.

In other Everton news, a major block on any new investment money coming into the club has emerged after the MSP Sports Capital deal collapsed.