Sunderland star Lamine Kone appears to has set his sights on moving to Everton, who have reportedly offered £ 18 million for his services. The Ivory Coast international has become the primary target for Everton, who are cashrich after selling defender John Stones to Manchester City for close to £ 50 million.
Furthermore, they are also looking set to lose striker Romelu Lukaku before the end of the transfer window. Lukaku has been subjected to interest from Chelsea, who are ready to play £ 65 million along with striker Loic Remy going the other way.
These transfers would leave Everton struggling for top quality players at a crucial time. Following the managerial change that brought in Ronald Koeman to the dugout and a new owner at the helm, the club are under great pressure to start the 2016-17 season in the best possible manner. Losing a number of top players just before the start of a new season is not exactly confidence inspiring to the other players. One of the ways to improve the team morale and also the quality of the squad is by going after top names. Kone says that even though Sunderland want to keep him at the club, he has decided to think about leaving the Stadium of Light.