D-day for Jonny as top Premiership clubs play waiting game
Evans a wanted man but who will seal the deal?
Last updated 31st Aug 2017
Jonny Evans remains on football’s most wanted list …
The West Brom captain remains a Baggies player this lunchtime – but that could all change by the 11pm transfer deadline.
In the last few days, Arsenal became the latest club to join a transfer tug of war that includes Manchester City and Leicester.
The Gunners upped the ante by offering the highest bid to date - £25m – but this again was turned down.
It is understood anything around £30m will be enough to land the Newtownabbey-born Evans, already Northern Ireland’s most expensive ever player after his big-money move from Manchester United.
The 29-year-old defender was on his way to Italy this afternoon with the Northern Ireland team ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier with San Marino.
Boss Michael O’Neill says the players’ focus is solely on the game but he has vowed to facilitate any potential move for Evans.
That could mean Evans leaving the international set-up temporarily to have a medical and put pen to paper before the deadline.
“Our job is just to focus on ourselves and facilitate in any way should a club agree terms or should a transfer come to fruition,” O’Neill said.
“We facilitate it in the best way possible but also that the club do it in a such a way that is the least disruption to ourselves.”