Everton are likely to return with a second bid for Gylfi Sigurdsson, after seeing their opening offer rejected by Swansea City.
The Toffees have been the busiest side in the Premier League this summer, with some marquee signings already in the bag. Wayne Rooney has made an emotional return from Manchester United, to join Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Michael Keane and Sandro Ramirez at Goodison Park.
Sigurdsson has been a long-standing target of manager Koeman, who hoped £40million would be enough to land the Iceland international. But this bid has been rejected by the Swans, who will not consider letting the midfield leave the Liberty Stadium for less than £50million.
Although this is a fee the Toffees are thought to be reluctant to pay for Sigurdsson, they are likely to return with an improved bid in the region of £45million. This, if accepted, would take their spending to a staggering total in the region of £140million as they take aim at a top-four finish this term.
Sigurdsson is regarded as one of the most productive players in the Premier League, scoring 42 goals and assisting 34 more in the 182 appearances he has made in the competition for Swansea and former club Tottenham Hotspur. He also has 15 goals in a half-century of caps for his country.
The 27-year-old has been left out of the Swans tour of the United States, and the club have made no secret that this decision has been made due to the speculation over his future. A statement read: “Gylfi did not feel in the right frame of mind to travel due to the current uncertainty over his future.”
Manager Paul Clement repeatedly stated earlier this summer that Sigurdsson was not for sale at any price, but this position has softened as the interest in his signature has firmed. Speaking on Wednesday evening, he confessed he was no longer certain that the player would remain at the club.
“Gylfi has not come to us and said ‘I want to leave’,” he said. “He is a player here at the moment. We are not sure whether he is going to be here for this season. If another club comes up with the right valuation, according to us, then it would be a different matter possibly.”
