Everton have agreed a deal to hire Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, according to British media reports on Tuesday.
Koeman is Everton's top choice to succeed Roberto Martinez, who was sacked just before the end of the Premier League campaign, and the Dutchman is now on the verge of sealing his switch to Goodison Park.
According to the BBC, Everton will pay around £5 million (Dh26.7m) to Southampton to secure Koeman's services, with the deal expected to be confirmed by Wednesday.
See also:
• Romelu Lukaku: 'Broken' relationship with Everton players led to Roberto Martinez sacking
• Report: Roberto Martinez sacked after three years in charge at Everton
• Richard Jolly: Putting Roberto Martinez out of his misery the kindest thing Everton could do
• Team Talk podcast: Could Benitez cross the Liverpool divide? A look at who replaces Martinez at Everton - Ep 24
After leading Southampton to impressive seventh and then sixth-place finishes in the Premier League, former Ajax and Feyenoord manager Koeman has been lured to Everton by the promise of over £100 million for new signings.
The Daily Mail newspaper said Koeman had been offered a contract worth £7 million per season as underachieving Everton begin to splash out following the investment of Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri.
Under the 53-year-old Dutchman, Southampton booked a place in next season’s Europa League, while Everton finished a disappointing 11th in the Premier League amid fan protests at Martinez’s failure to deliver on his promise of Uefa Champions League qualification.
Koeman, a former Barcelona and Netherlands defender, is currently on holiday but could be unveiled to the media next week once the move is completed.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
