English Premier League side Everton have moved to sign Sunderland Nigerian striker Francis Okoronkwo after agreeing on a deal worth up to £1million. The 16-year-old caught the attention of Everton scout in their Under-18 game last season.
Everton Close to Signing Sunderland’s Nigerian Okoronkwo
The English Premier League side is not the only club for the player as several top-flight clubs are also chasing the 6ft 3ins frontman. Sunderland was determined to keep Okoronkwo, but the Merseyside club has persuaded the player to move to Goodison Park, where he will enter their academy once the transfer is completed.
The Black Cats, now under the ownership of Swiss trust-fund billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, included the schoolboy in the group that travelled to Wembley for their EFL Trophy Final victory in March, a move that was intended to incentivise him in committing his future to the club.
The Nigerian will now become the latest youngster to quit Sunderland for the Premier League side, after Joe Hugill, who is a 17-year-old who is winning rave reviews at Manchester United. Defender Logan Pye, 17, also left the Black Cats to join United last summer.