IN-DEPTH NEWS

Nugent holding out for Everton?

Few players can boast of being linked with one club so consistently and for so long as David Nugent has with Everton.

Much of that is due to his Evertonian blood, but the facts that the Blues have been in the market for a striker for each of the last four transfer windows and that David Moyes has made a habit of picking off the best that the Championship has to offer are also contributing factors.

Unsurprisingly, with Preston North End again having failed to win promotion and Nugent's profile having been raised by England's involvement in the U-21 European Championships this summer, the player has decided that the time is right to make the step up to the Premiership.

Nugent, who is now on holiday for a week, held talks with Sunderland and West Ham last week but a source close to him told The S*n that the player is still holding out hope that Moyes will come in with a bid for him so that he can fulfill his dream of playing for his boyhood club.

Ideal conditions you would think for an Everton bid for the 22 year-old but while Moyes's interest is no secret, Preston's price tag has been a continual problem. Figures of £6m to £10m have been bandied about, that for a player who has a year left on his current contract. The nouveau riche at Upton Park would probably have few issues paying that much.

Everton's transfer kitty, however, is rumoured to be as low as £10m this summer, so a fee that high is likely to be prohibitive, especially seeing as up front is not the manager's priority at the moment.

Additionally, Moyes is believed to be reluctant to pressure his old club too much with aggressive bargaining.

All that considered, it would seem that Nugent's chances of joining Everton this summer are slim... but the silly season can throw up all sorts of surprises.