Everton strike midfielder deal; wage demands a sticking point

Everton have reportedly struck a deal with Swansea for Gylfi Sigurdsson, but the midfielder is said to be holding out for more than £120,000-a-week.

The Toffees have moved in quickly to try and seal a deal for the Iceland international, who is also being tracked by Southampton and, surprisingly, former club Tottenham.

A fee of around £25million is believed to have been agreed for the 27-year-old but Everton’s hopes of signing the player now hinge on him agreeing personal terms.

Sigurdsson is on £80,000 per week at the Liberty Stadium but wants a significant pay hike to move to Merseyside, according to the report in the Daily Mirror.

Losing the playmaker would be a huge blow for Swansea after the club’s Player of the Year netted nine goals and provided 13 assists as Paul Clement’s men maintained their Premier League status against all the odds.

Clement has reportedly urged the playmaker to stay and be a key man at Swansea rather than struggle for regular football at a bigger club — something he experienced during his two-year spell at White Hart Lane.

However, it would seem that a move to Goodison Park is very much on the cards, although Sigurdsson may have to adjust his wage demands for the deal to go through.