Everton are close to agreeing a deal to sign Swansea creator Gylfi Sigurdsson for a reported £25m fee, according to the Daily Mirror.  Sigurdsson was instrumental in Swansea’s escape to safety this season, but was always going to attract interest from a number of the Premier League’s top teams after such a superb campaign.  Indeed, only Kevin De Bruyne (18) and Christian Eriksen (15) registered more assists than Sigurdsson (13) in England’s top tier this term, with Everton leading the race to secure the Icelander’s services. 

Tottenham and Southampton had been credited with an interest in the 27-year-old, but Everton are in pole position having agreed a fee with the Swans for the player.  However, Sigurdsson is rumoured to be demanding £120,000-a-week at Goodison Park, which has seen the deal stall somewhat, with the attacker demanding a pay rise to leave the Liberty Stadium for Merseyside.  Swansea manager Paul Clement has urged Sigurdsson to stay in south Wales, yet he faces a losing battle to retain the services of their star man this summer.