Everton are believed to have won the race for highly-rated Charlton starlet Ademola Lookman after allegedly agreeing an £11m deal to sign him.
The Independent claims that the Toffees have seen off competition from a host of other interested clubs, including Arsenal and Merseyside rivals Liverpool, to land the 19-year-old, with the move apparently set to go through in the January transfer window.
Blues boss Ronald Koeman's winter window plans were thrown into disarray with the news that summer signing Yannick Bolasie was set to miss the rest of the season after he suffered cruciate knee ligament damage in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Despite having the likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon at his disposal in the wide areas, Koeman was already keen to bolster his attacking options - and looks to have now stolen a march on his rivals to land Lookman after director of football Steve Walsh earmarked the youngster as a priority signing ahead of next month.
Everton are believed to have negotiated an up-front fee of around £8m for the talented attacker, with a further £3m in add-ons providing Lookman fulfils some of his undoubted talent if he moves to Goodison Park.
One potential sticking point in any possible move, however, appears to be Charlton's insistence that their youth product be loaned back to them for the remainder of the campaign - a clause that Everton appear unwilling to agree to as they want to bring Lookman to Merseyside immediately.
Everton want to tie up £8m + £3m deal for Ademola Lookman early in January so he can go straight into squad. Story: https://t.co/pK3jqX5bMI
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) December 13, 2016
Lookman broke into the first-team set up at The Valley during the 2015/16 campaign, and made his senior bow in the 1-0 defeat to MK Dons in November 2015. The England Under-20 international featured a further 23 times in the Championship last term, and registered his first goal for the Addicks in the 3-2 reverse to Brighton in only his fifth first-team appearance.
Lookman found the back of the net four more times as Charlton suffered relegation to League One, but has been his side's standout performer this season with six goals and one assist in 18 league matches to date.
Crystal Palace attempted to sign Lookman last summer for £6m, but Charlton rejected the bid for their prized asset.
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Source: 90min
