Everton of England midfielder, Alex Iwobi is set to welcome a Nigerian-born teenager to Goodison Park this weekend, as The Toffees have sealed a deal for 16-year-old Francis Okoronkwo from Sunderland.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Okoronkwo makes the move from the lower division side into the Merseyside-based English Premier League side on the strength on his sterling performances last season with The Black Cats.
He caught the eye with Sunderland’s under-18 team last season and several top-flight clubs got on the queue for the 6ft 3ins forward, but Everton are now in pole position and closing on a deal for the youngster.
At that point, top shots at Sunderland believed Okoronkwo was one of the next talents off the production line at the AoL. The young midfielder has impressed the coaching staff with his ability and attitude, and has already featured heavily for the U18s.
Consequently, the youngster, who was invited to AC Milan training camp five years ago, was earmarked as a potential star by academy chiefs who are keen to develop young players and show them a pathway through to the first team.
The Black Cats pulled out all the stops to keep him and were hoping to convince him to continue his growth with them, but Okoronkwo is set to join the long line of youngsters who have departed the Sunderland academy in recent years.
A deal is in place between the two clubs and Sunderland could earn up to £1m from the striker’s departure and the teenager will link up with the Everton academy once the English Premier League ratifies the move and hope to start impressing in the youth ranks on Merseyside.
A report by British tabloid, Daily Mail adds: “Everton have swooped to sign Sunderland striker Okoronkwo after agreeing a deal worth up to £1million for the highly rated 16-year-old.
“Sunderland were determined to keep Okoronkwo but Everton have persuaded the player to move to Goodison Park, where he will enter their academy once the transfer is ratified by the Premier League.
“The Black Cats, now under the ownership of Swiss trust-fund billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, included the schoolboy in the group that travelled to Wembley for their EFL Trophy Final victory in March, a move that was intended to incentivise him in committing his future to the club.”
