Blues prepare fresh bid for Yarmolenko

10/01/2016

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It's a Sunday report so treat it with a sizeable pinch of salt but the Daily Mail are reporting that Everton will try to land Andriy Yarmolenko this month by lodging a £21m offer with Dynamo Kiev.

The report comes in the wake of suggestions by Ukrainian observers that the Blues were ready to offer €27m for him – the same sources say no official bid has yet been lodged, although there is chatter on social media that there is substance to the latest link between Everton and Yarmolenko – and it claims that Roberto Martinez fears losing out on the Ukrainian after Euro2016 should his value rise on the back of a good tournament with his country.

The suggestion is that the club will part-fund the deal by selling Steven Naismith to Norwich City this coming week for £8m. Rumours suggest the Scot is set to undergo a medical with the Canaries in the next few days.

The Echo report that Yarmolenko's representatives were on Merseyside last week and were in attendance at the Capital One Cup semi-final between the Blues and Manchester City which would indicate that fresh talks were held.

Everton tried to buy Yarmolenko last August but negotiations stalled after Kiev owner Igor Surkis reportedly decided to keep hold of the 26-year-old to support his club's Champions League campaign. He would still prefer to let the player go in the summer but he also has a agreement in place that would allow Yarmolenko to go to a "better league" if Kiev were to receive the right offer.

Yarmolenko has signed a new contract for Dynamo in the interim to ensure that the club receives full price for him rather than a reduced fee this month or losing him for free in the summer.